Generation Rising (Closed SYOC)
by U.A.HighAlumni
Summary: Only three years after the famous Class A graduates, a new group of students begin their Freshman Yeah at U.A. HIGH. Join in the adventure as the new Class A begins their Hero Journey. Lurking in the shadows, ready to bring down their success are the villain proteges of the League of Villains.
1. Chapter 1

_We're all striving to become Heroes that society can be proud of. Heroes that the public can trust. We are like the mythical phoenix, soaring up out of the ashes of the fallen Pro Heroes, those like All Might and Endeavor. We are the Generation Rising._

* * *

"Hey! Akio, wait up!"

Keoko Shimizu ran up to her best friend, her book bag swinging wildly in one hand. As always her scarf dragged on the ground at her feet, looking as if it could trip her at any moment. Her bright blue hair tangled as the breeze blew it high into the sky as she raised her free hand to wave at him.

Debating a moment on if he really wanted to acknowledge that he actually heard her or not, Akio Saito sighed and gave in. He stopped, waiting patiently. She would join him in a moment, if that ridiculous scarf didn't trip her. It had actually tripped him plenty of times for him to have grown a healthy dislike for it. He would never tell her that.

Keoko took several deep breaths as she skidded to a halt beside him. She waved a few times as if she wanted to speak.

"You...have...really...long...legs," she huffed, fanning herself with one hand.

"You're short," Akio pointed out dryly, ignoring the fact that he indeed have what could be described as really long legs.

"You are just tall," Keoko accused, pointing a finger up at him.

In response, Akio simply arched an eyebrow, staring down at her.

"Don't look at me like that." Keoko rolled her eyes. "Come on, let's go study!"

Aiko held up the two books clutched to his chest, drawing her attention to them. "I'm ready if you are." He often wondered how exactly they had become friends but couldn't figure out anything past her deciding she wanted to be his friend and refusing to let him consider another option. It was fine. His mother often told him to actually talk to people other than himself.

"I bet it will be easy for you to pass the entry tests," Keoko rattled, keeping the conversation up by herself. "You're so smart, plus your quirk is pretty strong."

Aiko grunted, though he didn't really need to. Keoko was able to have a conversation with herself easily.

"It's a good thing you're helping me with the written part of the test, I'd be pretty lost without you," Keoko chatted as they rounded the corner leading to their Junior High School. "My quirk's okay, and I think they would like it, but I'd definitely have to pass that written one to get in, I mean you have to be smart and strong."

Aiko grunted again, taking out a water bottle and getting a drink from it. He wasn't worried. They would be fine. Of course they would be.

"To think, both of us going to apply for U.A.!" Keoko squealed, shaking his arm. "It will be so fun!"

At that, Aiko made a face. Fun wasn't something he would describe U.A., not from what his siblings had told him of their own time there.

"Boy aren't you in a mood today," Keoko said, noticing his face immediately. "Okay, not that this 'mood' isn't your usual moody self, but you don't have to make a face about applying to U.A."

"I'm not moody," Aiko protested, though it wasn't a true protest but more of just something to say. He was and he knew it, if only between her and his siblings, he couldn't think he was anything else.

Keoko burst out laughing. "That's funny!" she giggled, calming down a little.

Rolling his eyes, Aiko huffed a sigh in response.

"Can you believe it?" Keoko squealed. "Five more days!"

Aiko held up his books again. "That's why we need to be studying."

"Right, right," Keoko's scarf pulled the door open to the study hall.

Cursing as his toe found the edge of the door, Aiko ducked his head slightly to get inside.

"You are so tall," Keoko grinned, swinging her books back and forth as she swept her gaze over the study hall.

Finding a table, she sat down, plopping her books down on the table. Grabbing one of her bag she flipped it open, waiting for him.

"I know," Aiko muttered, taking to a chair. He really disliked being this tall but his parents were six five and six seven respectively so he hadn't been able to escape it.

"You'll be so cool," Keoko flipped through the pages. "You have a lot of hero advantages when you're tall."

Aiko let her prattle, opening one of his own books and getting a notebook out as well, laying both on the table.

"U.A." Keoko said dreamily.

* * *

" _Come on, Aiko!" Keoko clapped her hands together. "Its on, its on, its on!"_

 _Aiko made a mhmm sound as he set down beside her. Rare interest had his blue eyes lit up._

" _Look! It's the new students!" Keoko squealed. "They all look so cool!"_

 _Not saying anything, Aiko watched, eyes narrowed carefully in concentration as he tried to figure out where his brother was. He had to be there somewhere._

" _I want to go there someday." Keoko stared dreamy eyed at the screen._

" _We will," Aiko murmured, smirking when he saw familiar purple hair. There he was._

" _That's the spirit!" Keoko cheered. "Plus Ultra!"_

* * *

"I'm so hungry," Keoko whined, face-planting into her book.

Aiko didn't look up from his own book, not bothering to reply until she had decided on a course of action to take.

"Fine." Keoko gave up after several more moments. "B. I choose, B."

"You got it right," Aiko said, finally looking up from his book. In truth he didn't need it. His parents and the siblings who were already heroes had drilled this information into him from a young age. However, he knew it didn't hurt to have a refresher and besides, it helped Keoko out.

"Really?" Keoko looked up. "Does this mean I can eat?"

Aiko nodded, pushing his study materials to the side. A break did sound good.

"Yes!" Keoko sprang to her feet.

Sighing, Aiko stood up as well, cursing softly when he kneed the underneath of the table in his attempts. Her enthusiasm was always something else.

"I'm thinking some pork dumplings," Keoko grinned. "Don't they sound good?"

"Delicious," Aiko murmured, swinging his bag over his shoulder. He was hungry now that she had mentioned that.

Keoko packed her books, swinging the bag over her back, "Then let's go!"

Shaking his head, Aiko led her to the door, holding it open for her. Pork dumplings really did sound good.

* * *

 _Takeshi Saito waved the license in front of his brother proudly. His short purple hair was spiked and he had his hero costume on._

" _It's official, you can start calling me_ , _Tsunami," he said proudly._

 _Aiko was staring at it with wide blue eyes. "Tsunami," he agreed. He was very proud of his big brother. He knew he would be an awesome hero._

" _Boy, was it hard to get these provisional licenses," Takeshi laughed, running a hand through his hair. "Especially since we were in the shadows of that Class A. It takes being attacked by villains to make you famous you know. But we made our mark."_

 _Aiko couldn't seem to stop staring at the license that his brother was holding. Of course he had seen one before...several in fact. Takeshi was only the third oldest. However, despite this, it was different. Maybe because while Aiko loved all his siblings, he worshiped this brother. "I'm going to get one," he said firmly._

 _Takeshi grinned proudly, "I'm sure you will!"_

* * *

 **Thank you for reading!** _10LokiIsAwesome48_ **and I are having a great time writing this! The SYOC form is on my profile. Send your submissions to me :) *Side note we don't accept review characters. Thanks!**

 **Character Creator Guidlines:**

 **1\. Have fun!**

 **2\. Understand that after your character is accepted, we the authors are in control.**

 **3\. Be nice to other submitters.**

 **4\. We do not accept LGBT characters.**

 **5\. Not a rule, but be sure to leave a review :) Encouragement/thoughts means more frequent updates.**


	2. Chapter 2

_Since reviews are pretty similar this chapter, thank you from both of us for expressing your interest and submitting your OCs into our care! We hope the story lives up to your expectations!_

* * *

Principal Nezu sat at his desk, drinking his tea and scrolling through the applications to his school. Such powerful quirks. Each new generation seemed to be stronger than the last that left his halls. As if on cue a news feed notification screen blinked at him. Speaking of those who had left his halls.

 _Pro Hero Deku Prevents Train Explosion with Pro Hero Dynamite when Villain Shepsut…_

 _Pro Hero Shouto takes charge in the Villain Run Town, Ozakakshi._

Nezu chuckled to himself. Still outshining others, especially those three. Hard to believe that just three years ago they were students. They were rising through the ranks faster than some of the older Pros. Now, speaking of eye catching.

His printer spat out the last sheet, the cover page, of the recommendation list. Only a few this year, a relief from last year's twenty. Picking up the papers with his paws, he sat them down to read through as he finished off his tea.

"Let's start with you." Nezu's eyes appraised the headshot of the young teen. "Rin Nakamaru."

* * *

"Have you heard anything back yet?" Fumi asked, tone eager, as she came around the corner and stepped into her son's bedroom.

Rin Nakamaru slumped in his chair, staring at the ceiling above him. He couldn't wait for school to start. Admissions hadn't even begun yet and wouldn't for three more weeks, which made him feel even more trapped. If he didn't get in on recommendation, he wasn't sure what to do. His quirk wasn't exactly the offensive one and if he learned anything from Pro Hero First Aid, getting into U.A. High wasn't easy when your quirk wasn't offensive. But if he couldn't make it into U.A. High, he'd probably try for Shiketsu High. Anything to get away.

"No, not yet." he smiled, swinging the chair around to face his mom.

Fumi sighed, wringing her hands nervously. She had been afraid of this. "Surely they'll be giving you a response soon, right?" U.A. had to accept him.

"I'm sure." Rin shrugged. After all, it was only three weeks before the tests for everyone else. They were bound to test the Recommendations beforehand, right?

Another impatient sigh passed Fumi's lips. "Well, let me know as soon as you do."

"Will do." Rin gave her a thumbs up. "You are the first person I'll tell once I hear the news."

"Thanks son," Fumi said, giving him a small smile before turning. A lot rested on this and all she could do was hope it worked out.

Rin nodded, eyes straying to the dark circles under his mom's eyes. The red, bloodshot look in her eyes. She had definitely been using again. Why were drugs so damn expensive? That was the only reason she was so supportive in his decision to go to U.A. High or some other hero academy. Pro Heroes made a lot of money. Rin spun in his chair away from her as he stared at his hands. It was really ridiculous. He wanted to be a Pro, save people. He couldn't even save his own mother, not even with his quirk. As soon as she left, he snatched up his phone.

 _Can I come by?_

* * *

The buzz of her phone drew Akane from a light doze and after a moment, she reached over, fumbling for a second before picking it up. She read the text once, then twice, before firing off an affirmative answer. She sighed deeply then set up, worry settling deep in her eyes as she thought about what might have prompted the question. Not liking anything she came up with, she guessed it was time to make some tea.

Rin, hands in his pockets, stood in front of First Aid's house. Ringing the bell, he waited patiently. Ito Sensei had first entered his life three years ago, inspiring him to take the path of support hero instead of medicine despite his quirk's abilities. Plus, Rin wasn't cut out to be a doctor.

Smothering a yawn, Akane opened the door, smiling a little as she saw him. She didn't say anything, simply held open the door for him.

Rin stepped inside, suppressing a yawn himself. Why was yawning so contagious? He flopped onto her couch, making himself at home.

"Tea?" Akane asked, even as she began prepping them both a cup.

"Always." Rin grinned.

Akane laughed at that, unsurprised. "It'll be ready in a minute."

"I haven't heard yet," Rin said anxiously. "How long do you think it will take before I know if my Recommendation was accepted?"

"It was only three days ago," Akane said patiently as she brought over a steaming cup of tea for him as well as her.

"Thanks." Rin accepted the cup. "I know, but...it's hard to wait, you know."

"I know," Akane agreed, sitting down as well. "I was recommended too."

"By who?" Rin asked, slightly surprised. She hadn't mentioned this before.

Akane thought for a moment, sure she had told him this, then shrugged. "Recovery Girl."

"Really?" Rin looked excited.

Recovery Girl. She was U.A. High's oldest teacher, though no one would tell it to her face. Her quirk, honed over the years, could heal almost any injury, as long as she kissed it. Rin made a face, he sure hoped he didn't get hurt if he was accepted. That would be so weird. All he had to do was hold out his hands. He was glad he didn't have to kiss anyone.

At his expression, Akane laughed softly. "Really. We've known each other for a long time."

"That's so cool," Rin nodded.

Even if he didn't like the idea of getting kissed or doing the one kissing, he still admired Recovery Girl. She was one of the few with medical quirks that became heroes. In fact, Japan only had Recovery Girl and First Aid. He was going to be next.

"You'll have to meet her," Akane said with a fond smile. She would always hold a special place in her heart for the other woman.

"I will, but not because I'm hurt or something like that," Rin shook his head adamantly.

"Of course not," Akane said with a knowing smile.

"Is there anything else you could tell me about U.A.?" Rin sipped at his tea.

Akane looked thoughtful at his question. "Well, do you know the ones who get on recommendations go against each other?"

"No," Rin eyed her.

They had to go against each other? He bit his lip, looking a bit worried. He didn't like fighting others.

"You'll do just fine," Akane said quickly, seeing the worried look on his face.

"I'm glad you believe in me," Rin laughed, running a hand through his hair.

Akane laughed too. "I've always believed in you," she said gently.

Rin took a drink of his tea. "Well thanks," he said sheepishly.

Laughing again, Akane sipped her tea as well. "Don't ever forget that."

Rin grinned, "Well I best be going. Mom's going to wonder where I am."

Akane tried not to grimace; she didn't really care for Rin's mother. A horrible mother for a darling son. "Stop by tomorrow if you can."

"I will," Rin nodded. "And if I get that acceptance, expect me to break into the hospital."

At that, Akane laughed. "Would I expect anything else?'

"Nope." Rin got to his feet, putting his cup into the sink.

He walked over to the door, slipping his shoes back on and waving goodbye to her. Outside he took a deep breath, staring up at the sky. Already a few stars were twinkling down at him. The noises of the city faded away. Only a few stars showed at night, since they lived in the city, but he always enjoyed looking up at them. Vaguely, he wondered if they liked looking at people, just as much as he enjoyed watching them. Shaking his head, he stuck his hands in his pockets and hurried home.

* * *

"I got accepted!"

Rin burst into Ito's house, almost forgetting to slid his shoes off. He waved a small disc in the air, looking enthusiastic.

Akane all but jumped to her feet, book forgotten on the couch where she had been sitting at. "Really?" she gasped.

"Really!" Rin shouted excitedly.

Akane threw her arms around him, embracing him fiercely. "I knew you could do it," she said, pride in every word.

Rin stayed in the embrace for a moment before pulling back. "Want to hear it?" he asked, holding up the disc.

"Of course I do," Akane said instantly, eyes bright.

Rin dropped onto the couch, setting the disc onto a table. Pressing a button, a holographic image of Principal Nezu flashed into the air.

 _It is my honor to accept your recommendation…_

* * *

Rin stood in front of U.A. High's gates, staring up at the emblem above him. He was here. At last. Taking a deep breath, he stepped through.

He was going to become a hero.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading! Up next are more Recommended characters and the Recommendation Trials!**

 **For the SYOC submissions, please submit girls. We have four more openings for girls. Any more male submissions will need to be moved to class B. Also only four more spots! Wow things fill up fast! We will open again (after Class A fills) when its closer to the festival and students from B will make appearances. Thanks!**

 **Random Fun Fact: Since we have nothing but...King/Lord Explosion Murder...I decided to name Bakugo "Dynamite" which references to his quirk, destructiveness in general, and All Might. I didn't, however, figure out what to do with Shouto...**


	3. Chapter 3

**_Review Replies with Alumni and Loki_**

 _Mystery Again: Never fear, for listing will be provided after the recommendations and examinations!_

 _Supreme Kai of Booty: Haha! I like __Explosive Edgelord 8000! It will be interesting your reaction to Nakamaru in this chapter._

 _ChillyIce: Good to know, glad you like it!_

 _ThalioTP: Well that was a great idea, however we had to close. BNHA SYOC are quite popular we have discovered. I'll keep that suggestion in mind for next time!_

 _Starblitz1312: He is indeed a pure soul. Thank you for the compliment *bows*_

 _gold crown dragon: And here it is! The Recommendeds! (I know not a word, but I've removed it out of this chapter and the next so many times because that's how I refer to them in my head. If you see one have mercy on my rebel dictionary tendencies)_

 _61394: Ooh glad you like it! It was one of those moments of brilliance, which I will never see again for a thousand years._

 _Butterfly Chikage: Let me just say...that opening line...brilliant. Glad you like our style *glares at grammar blips that sneak by* Yes it is first name, last name. I love all names on the submissions equally so I will probably refer to them by first name while writing their perspective and last name when referring to them in dialogue or in other people's thoughts...probably...I could forget all of this. _Oh dear...honestly if I had thought about Shinsou being a brother, that would have been awesome. _I'm very excited for Keoko and Reine to meet! Akio will probably die of word overload. Keep and eye on the scarf. While the idea of that ship is cute, they would totally kill each other in less than a week. Oh and Takeshi is the eldest brother, so there's a big gap between him and Akio. Fun fact: Different sibling in the Sports Festival Flashback._ _pt2. Actually they wouldn't be the first to start out so long. Plus it is three years after they graduate...Ooh we may have to write a separate fanfic :D I was afraid of being a copycat like Monoma, so I chose drugs. Drugs are fun. There are other things about Rin that you will find out in this chapter and the next...mainly his quirk. That explains a lot. Akane is wonderful! Lets say...that was intentional...yeah I like that...lets go with that. Just Class A for now. I kinda rambled in the replies, but I love your long rambling reviews!_

 _And now with no further ado, the chapter._

* * *

After a moment's pause, Reine Marseille reached for the door then pushed it open. Her golden eyes brightened with excitement as she looked around. After another moment, she bounced into the room before she went quickly over to one of the desks, sitting down before looking around with open curiosity. She wasn't sure what she was about to get into but she was more than ready.

Present Mic, hands on hips, watched the Recommended students file into the room. Only eighteen this year, less than their average forty to fifty. This would make things easier this year. As soon as everyone claimed a seat at the desk, he sauntered out onto the stage.

"ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL RIGGGGHHHHHHHHHHTTTTTTTTTT!" The room reverberated as he announced himself. "WELCOME TO THE RECOMMENDATIONS' TEST NUMBER ONE! ARE YOU REAAAADDDDYYYYYYY?"

Smiling, Reine nodded eagerly. She was and she couldn't wait. She wasn't nervous at all, simply very excited about it all.

"WELL THEN FLIP OVER YOUR PAPERS AND GET TO WORK!" Present Mic held up a timer and clicked the 'go' button.

Forcing herself to focus, Reine flipped the paper over, narrowing her eyes in concentration as she began to fill out the answers. She would ace this, no problem. Most of the questions were scenarios involving Pro Heroes. So they were testing their knowledge on situations written on paper. Perhaps there would be a practical exam.

 _5\. A villain has barricaded himself in a ten story abandoned building on an unknown level. How do you, as a Pro Hero, approach the building, without alerting the villain to your presence? Once you find him, you discover that he has seven hostages. How do you talk him down as he is actively threatening one of the hostages?_

Reine froze, the smile slowly fading from her face as she read the question once, then twice. Her mind flashed back and for a moment, the world faded around her.

* * *

" _It's just...too late to go back."_

 _He bent down in front of her, rubbing at the thick scruff darkening his chin, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes creasing as he looked at her._

 _Her eyes wide, Reine stared up at him, not understanding what exactly was going on but knowing it was very, very bad. "It's never too late to do anything," she said finally, voice surprisingly loud in the small room._

 _His eyes softened a moment at her obvious naivety, innocence. It reminded him of...days gone by. Ruffling her hair with his large hand, he stood back up, walking away. "Just keep thinking that, kid."_

* * *

Flinching, Reine pulled herself from the memory and forced herself to focus again. She thought for a moment, considering what had happened, then wrote down an would help people; that's what she wanted to do, more than anything. That way they would never have to lose hope again. For that reason she had asked to go to U.A. High. That moment so many years ago had been the defining point of time for her. She wanted to give hope to people. Just like Japan's former Number One Hero, All Might. She wanted to be, instead of peace, a symbol of hope. She wanted to restore humanity's faith in Heroes.

Present Mic watched the timer as the Recommended kids finished up the written part of the test. This was probably the shortest test they had today. The kids recommended by the Pro Heroes were always brainiacs of some degree.

Reine breathed a deep sigh of relief as she stared at the test for one last moment before pushing away the paper. She was confident that she had passed and she hoped that all the others had to, even though it was impossible. Well then, she needed to hope that they accomplished their goals, even if they didn't pass.

"ALRIGHT! TURN YOUR PAPERS UPSIDE DOWN AND FOLLOW ME OUTSIDE!" Present Mic waved his arms around his head.

Glad to be done, Reine stood, offering a friendly smile to the others. She was very excited to meet everyone and hoped she could get some new friends out of this. Glancing both ways, Reine surveyed the people around her. She knew that most of the recommended students never got in, that at most five were picked for the hero classes, two for support, and a few for business. That would be less than half of the people here. Time to think. Which students would be most likely to catch interest. She was hoping herself, of course, who wouldn't hope they would pass and get into the best school in Japan...in the world! She found herself squealing slightly. Fangirl moment. Time to focus. She looked around as they walked behind Present Mic. Hm..that person looked like they had a power based quirk like a bull's...considering the horns and bullish nose. Oh, and that person had green skin. That was new, maybe she could talk with them. But then there was the girl with the tattoos all over her body. At least Reine assumed as much. They were so cool looking! Oh and there was a kid with curly cue hair! There were so many to choose from!

Reine paused, those two in the crowd stood out for some reason. They didn't have any flashy outward signs of quirks, in fact they looked rather plain. But something about them made her think. She would definitely need to talk to these two.

"Hi!" She stepped over towards the closest one as they rounded a bend in the sidewalks. "My name's Reine Marseille! What's your name?"

Anamiya startled, quickly jerking his head up and staring at the girl for several seconds, before looking away. He kept his gaze anywhere but her as he wondered why she was talking to him. Why had she come up to him?

"Whoa, cool hair, does it have anything to do with your quirk?" Reine continued, forgetting he hadn't shared his name.

Forcing down a flare of panic, Anamiya took a step backwards. "No," he murmured, wanting to be left alone but not about to tell her that. She seemed nice enough; it wasn't her fault he wasn't comfortable.

"So why are you here?" Reine asked. "I mean. What are your goals? Why do you want to be a hero? Do you have a hero who inspires you?"

Anamiya took another step backwards, feeling very overwhelmed at all her quick-fire questions. Where could he even begin? Relief stabbed him when they were interupted and he was saved from having to deal with all of this.

"ALLLLLRRRRRRRIGGGGGGGGGHTTTTTTTTTTT KIDSSSSS!" Present Mic stopped at what almost looked like a rollercoaster and a theme park combined. "IT'S TIME FOR THE OBSTACLE RACE! I'LL DIVIDE YOU INTO GROUPS OF SIX. FEEL FREE TO USE YOUR QUIRKS TO GET YOURSELVES TO THE FINISH LINE!"

Reine looked up, forgetting momentarily the boy she had been talking to. A race. She laughed a little to herself. She hoped that luck was with her today. Remembering the boy she turned to him, but at that moment Present Mic pointed to her.

"YOU ARE WITH GROUP ONE!" he then pointed to a kid slightly behind them. "YOU ARE WITH GROUP TWO AND YOU," he motioned to the shy boy. "ARE WITH GROUP THREE!"

Group one. That meant she was next. Squealing she jumped up and down. Turning to the boy she grinned.

"Do your best!" she said optimistically.

Running up with the others assigned to group one, she waved back at the boy. She wondered what his quirk was. In fact, she wondered what the quirks of her opponents were. This race relied on luck for her.

 **Z**

 **"Reine Marseille! Quirk: Lottery Arrow! She can summon a bow and an arrow spun through a lottery of seven different types! Once the type is selected, she has to use it before she can draw another one! Additionally, the higher her elevation is, the higher the possibility of spinning a lucky spin!"**

 **Z**

"ON YOUR MARKS, GET SET," Present Mic screamed from the other end of the course where he had run after giving their numbers out. "GGGGGGGGOOOOOOOOOO!"

Reine quickly pulled back, the dim flicker of her bow lighting her determined face up. _Please, please, please be something good_ , she hoped as the arrow spun round her birthmark. Number 5. Oh well, might as well make this fun.

Pink smoke engulfed three contestants as Reine and two others bolted across the starting line. Reine ran, spotting a high point up ahead in the race. If only she could get there. Drawing again, the arrow spun around again.

3.

Alright that definitely didn't help getting to the top, but it would take out that contender who was rolling like a boulder to the finish line. Releasing, the arrow arched into the sky, barely visible. Suddenly a hail of arrows surrounded Boulder Boy, bringing him to a halt. However, the Oil Slick girl was still at first place, having no problems sliding towards the finish line.

"Come on, come on, come on," Reine looked back, noticing the smoke arrow hadn't stopped the three students for long.

6.

Finally. Reine pivoted, at the very peak of the hill. She could see the finish line up ahead. The arrow spun. Gripping it, she jumped as high as she could, holding onto the rope. The hill hadn't been high enough to carry her to the finish line, but close enough to Oil Slick and far away from the others. Even Boulder Boy was behind. Now to get in front of Oil Slick. Reine pulled up ready to fire another arrow.

1.

Bingo

Firing, Reine pulled forward, passing Oil Slick girl with ease, making it over the finish line. Breathing hard, she placed her hands against her knees. That had been tough. At least her luck had run strong, and hadn't given her any fits. The others quickly followed her, Present Mic screaming their finishing times.

"ALRIGHT! WAIT OVER THERE. WHEN WE CALL YOUR GROUP, BE READY FOR YOUR INTERVIEWS!"

Reine nodded eagerly. Even though she was slightly tired from the race, she was still enthusiastic. What a great day. Stretching, she peered down the obstacle course as Present Mic started screaming at Group Two to begin. It was far away, but since the end was at the highest point, she could see the starting line pretty clearly. Six figures stood, four girls and two guys. She really wished she could see more of what was going on.

"GGGGGGOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Was she seeing things, or did all of the contestants fall over after that flash of silver light? Reine rubbed her eyes, this was getting good! She was so excited!

 **Z**

 **Rin Nakamaru! Quirk: Quinte…...**

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! A lovely cliffhanger if I do say so myself. Alright not really, but I'm holding back on Nakamaru's quirk for a little bit longer. I had a lot of fun playing Present Mic BECAUSE ALLLLLL CAPPPPPPSSSSSSSSS! Hope you guys like the review replies. I keep forgetting to put we and so does my partner in crime, so its both of us talking jsyk.**

 **We may or may not have gotten excited. So you have a chapter tonight, and will have a chapter tomorrow to celebrate our first week together *pours champagne* Plus I may be involved in a word war with another writing guild so expect great things my peeps.**


	4. Chapter 4

_Review Replies with Alumni and Loki_ _:_

 _Ajwin11: Glad you liked the chapter, bigger twists are yet to come!_

 _Butterfly Chikage:_ _We are so happy you liked the chapter! Present Mic is so fun! Also *looks at fellow author* we may have had a communications issue about Takeshi...He's actually only five years older! Well we also introduced her into the obstacle race and she's the only one that gets highlighted during the race. We would have done more with her and Anamiya but a certain someone whose name starts with P and ends with resent Mic interrupted. Also we are holding back on revealing the true nature/power of the Recommended Student's Quirks to add to the intrigueeeeeeee. Also Rin is big on hiding his personality from others, so when he gets more familiar with both readers and students he will open up._

 _gold crown dragon: Loki loves playing Anamiya, and we hope you enjoy this chapter! Also she is excited to see his quirk in action._

 _: Thank you! Aren't we all curious :D I hope you enjoy this chapter and the ones to come!_

 _ChillyIce: She is a fun girl! I'm so glad you like her quirk!_

 _Supreme Kai of Booty: I know, we spoil you...we will drag it out to once a week updates and lengthen chapters probably...aw rip...We shall soon find out just exactly what her quirk is :D_

 _LifeisBeautiful17: Yeah...we totally did that on purpose! :D Thanks for the advice!_

 _Starblitz1312: We shall see! I am also looking forward to this, and you see a glimpse in this chapter!_

 _61394: It is, honestly there are so many amazing quirks!_

* * *

Anamiya Yun gritted his teeth as another wave of pain washed over him, starting from his toe tips and going all the way up to his knees. He stared at his feet, waiting patiently to be tended to even as agony began to be all he knew. Pale faced, he tried to ignore the trembling of his swollen legs.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Present Mic clicked the timer staring at the sight before him.

Five of the kids lay on the course grounds, groaning as they rolled up. None of them looked seriously injured, but the one that had crossed the finish line looked as if he was the one that received the damage. Present Mic quickly raised his phone to call Recovery Girl over.

"Hold on!"

Present Mic looked up, blinking in surprise as the kid who won the last race, rushed up, waving his arms.

He had done this before, one other time, but it had been so long ago, Anamiya had forgotten just how badly it hurt. He bite his lower lip, squeezing his eyes closed as another jolt of pain shot through his maimed legs. At least he won.

"I've got it," the kid said. "I've trained with my quirk for this. Besides, he's pretty hurt and it would take a while for Recovery Girl to get out here."

At Present Mic's surprised nod, the kid rushed over to Anamiya. Dropping to his knees beside him, the kid reached his hand out.

"Hi, my name's Rin Nakamaru." he shot him a lopsided grin. "I'm going to help."

Anamiya flinched, startled at both the sudden words and the fact someone was so close. He squirmed, cleared his throat then nodded silently. His feet were highly interesting so that was where he reached out, golden light swirling down his left arm. It touched Anamiya, swirling around his fractured and bruised legs.

Anamiya's eyes flickered slightly as the throbbing pain slowly ebbed away. That was unexpected but not at all unwelcomed.

"There," Nakamaru sat back. "Anywhere else?"

"No," Anamiya murmured, staring with fascination at his slightly moving legs. No pain, not even faint.

"Well good. I think it's almost time for my interview. Good luck with the rest of the test!" Nakamaru stood, running off towards the buildings in the distance.

"WHOAAAAA, THAT WAS COOOL KID!"

Present Mic screamed after him. In truth he had been a bit confounded. This was the same kid that had, like the one in front of him, decimated the other contestants. These two were strong, no doubt about that. Plus the girl who had finished first, despite her quirk depending on sheer luck.

"ALLLL RIGHT!" Present Mic shook himself, turning to the six racers. "CLEAN YOURSELVES UP AND PREPARE FOR THE INTERVIEWS! YOU'RE THE LAST BATCH FOR TODAY SO MAKE YOURSELVES DOUBLY IMPRESSIVE!"

Carefully, Anamiya stood, not surprised to find his legs were as strong as ever. The other boy was clearly very powerful. He shook his head, shaking his head and letting his hair fall where it would with the action. The interview. The last thing he wanted. Swallowing hard, he tried his best to keep his mind clear. Just an interview.

* * *

"Hello, it's nice to meet you, Anamiya Yun. My name is Principal Nezu. That's right. It's me, Nezu, the one who could be a dog or a mouse or a bear, but more importantly... I'm the principal of U.A. High!"

Anamiya knew he should be making eye contact with the principal, but found that he really wasn't able to. He swallowed hard, his mouth dry. "Nice to meet you, Sir," he said softly, trying to ignore the rasp in his voice that seemed oddly more noticeable than it usually was.

"And it's nice to meet you too," Nezu picked up his cup of tea. "I hear you did quite well in the obstacle race."

Not at all sure how to reply this, Anamiya cleared his throat again. "Thank you," he said, deciding that would be appropriate.

"Now, why do you want to come to my school?" Principal Nezu took a sip of his tea.

Anamiya stared at his hands. They were an easier place to keep his gaze. "I'm sure you heard about what happened," he said softly, the words catching in his throat.

"Oh yes I heard, but I want to know why you want to come." Principal Nezu looked down at his tea cup, before setting it on the table again. "Surely you wanted to come."

"I wanted to come," Anamiya said softly after several moments in which he tried to make sense of his thoughts. "Because I knew that once Deku had trouble with his Quirk too and he was able to be helped here."

"Ah, the Hero Deku," Nezu nodded. "I remember him. Quite a handful," he chuckled for several long moments. "But if you've got the same heart he does, I see nothing stopping you from becoming one of the most beloved heroes of our time."

Anamiya's eyes went wide. "Really?" The word caught in his throat.

"Now," Nezu cleared his throat. "Tell me more about yourself. What are you wanting to accomplish at my school?"

"Anything," Anamiya said, ducking his head.

"How would you describe yourself as a student, here at U.A. High?" Nezu refilled his teacup.

"Dedicated," Anamiya said softly, studying his feet again.

"What else?" Nezu's spoon clattered against the porcelain cup as he stirred.

* * *

"Hi," Rin Nakamaru waved as the other boy stepped out of Principal's office. "It's me again. I never caught your name…"

Anamiya stopped, startled at the sudden question. This boy seemed very determined to make conversation with him and he didn't know what to make of it. "Anamiya Yun," he rasped, hating that it came out as a question.

"Nice to meet you, Yun." Rin gestured back to the Principal's office door. "Hard to read isn't he? I thought he was really cool though. At first I wondered if he was one of those strict people, then I thought he might be really easy going, and at one point he seemed a bit crazy."

Anamiya blinked, startled by the onslaught of words. Why was he talking to him? "Right," he said, not sure what he was agreeing to.

"Sorry." Rin noticed his expression. "I still have a lot of energy left even after I healed you. I tend to spaz out a bit."

"It's fine," Anamiya murmured quickly, staring down at his feet again. A moment of silence passed then he said, just as softly, "Thank you for helping me."

"No problem!" Rin tried to calm himself down, but his entire body was nearly shaken with pent up energy. "Its my quirk, and my goal. I want to be a Medical Hero like Recovery Girl or First Aid."

Anamiya thought about this for a moment, carefully pondering, then nodded slowly. "You have the gifts for it."

"I didn't see what your quirk is." Rin looked over at him. "Why did it inflict so much damage to you?"

Anamiya started at his curled hands. "It's hard to explain," he murmured. "But it's hard to control."

"Huh," Rin looked thoughtful. "Well if we get accepted, I'll be your personal medic!"

At that, Anamiya had to look up, not at all sure what to make of this. Was he serious? After a moment, he realized that perhaps he was. He blinked, startled. "Alright," he said, not entirely sure if he should agree or not.

"I'm sorry," Rin apologized again. "I've never done six people...ever. It's like getting high without the addiction and seeing things side effect." Rin frowned, clearing his throat. "That was a weird explanation. I don't do drugs," he said soberly.

Anamiya had figured that but he supposed he appreciated the promise anyway. He shrugged, looking down at his feet again. "That's good," he murmured.

"Well." Rin slowed as they reached the front door. "It was nice meeting you, Yun. I hope to see you in classes."

A moment passed, before Anamiya slowly nodded. "A healer would be nice," he said, offering these words as an afterthought.

Rin smiled, the words seeming to touch deeper than perhaps the other boy had meant. "Thanks," he replied. "I guess saying having a steady patient isn't what you want to hear...how about, 'I look forward to working with you?'. That work?"

Anamiya managed a small smile and looked up at that. "It does," he said quietly. He knew from experience that he would indeed be a steady patient.

Rin nodded, swinging the door open and stepping outside. "Good to know," he waved a hand, turning towards the street.

Staring after him, Anamiya shook his head. He supposed now all he could do was wait.

Picking absently at a fingernail, Anamiya couldn't bring himself to do anymore than stare at what might turn out to be either his salvation or doom. What if he had been rejected? He wasn't sure what he would do if he had. Several moments passed then he reached. It needed to happen; he needed to know for sure one way or another.

* * *

He let the words wash over him, barely able to breathe as he listened. Accepted. He had been accepted. His head spinning, Anamiya forced himself to take a deep breath then another before he reached for his phone. He knew his parents were busy but he also knew they would want to know. He just hoped he would make them proud.

"Hello?" Static buzzed, indicating very low quality cell service.

"I got in," Anamiya said softly, standing in hopes of getting better reception. His hands were sweaty and he almost dropped his phone. He couldn't believe it.

"Anamiya!" His mother's voice buzzed annoyingly. "Did you say you got in?" There was a squealing noise that couldn't be connected with the poor reception.

Anamiya made a face at the noise. "Yes, mom," he said, forcing his voice louder.

More squeals and the sound of her voice in the distance as she repeated what he had said. "I'm so proud of you baby!" She returned, the phone clearing so her voice was almost deafening.

Even though Anamiya was sure that ear was now permanently deaf, he smiled anyway at her words. He was in and she was proud of him. Nothing else mattered. "Thanks," he said, his voice returning to its usual rasp. "Can you tell Dad?"

"I told him, here he is, Ara," she said, her voice fading at the end of the sentence, though the loving pet name was clearly heard.

Anamiya smiled again. He missed both his parents but was glad for this opportunity for his mother. He was sure she was doing very well.

"I'm so proud of you, son." A deeper voice buzzed through the static that had returned.

The smile grew at that. "Thank you so much, Dad," Anamiya said, happier than he ever thought possible.

"You'll do well, I'm sure of it," his dad responded.

"I hope so," Anamiya said softly. He had to.

"We love you so much!" His mom chimed in. "So proud of our baby boy!"

Anamiya ducked his head, though his parents weren't there. "I love you too."

"We're losing you...because,..because...of the...connection…" his mom's voice cut in and out. "Congratulations!"

"Thank you," Anamiya said, rising his voice slightly, though he wasn't sure his mother would be able to hear him. He could barely hear her.

"Love…" The call dropped suddenly.

* * *

Realizing his parents were no longer on the line, Anamiya shook his head as he pulled his cell away from his ear. Smiling a little, he set back. He had been accepted. Maybe finally he would no longer have to fear his Quirk.

"It's here!" Reine squealed sliding across the marble floor, envelope raised proudly. "Oh it's here! Risa! Stephan! It's here, it's here, it's here! Eep!"

Stephan stoic as ever, nodded gravely, his sunglasses sliding slightly down his tanned nose. At first he had seemed like the cliche bodyguard to Reine, but as they spent more time together, she realized he had a big heart and was a big softy, who could hardly say no to her 'innocent' eyes.

"Young miss!" Risa, appeared in the doorway, duster in her hand, which was firmly planted on her plump hip. "Are you going to open it now?"

Risa, her head maid and a regular mother hen. Though she pretended to be stern and strict, she was far from it. Even now there was a twinkle in her eyes, showing she was just as excited.

"Actually, I was going to tell mom and dad first," Reine shot them a slightly guilty smile. "But you'll be the first to know...right after them of course."

Heart pounding she rushed to the stairs, beginning to take them two at a time. All she wanted to do was rip the envelope open and find out. However, since her parents had recommended her, she had to share this moment with them.

"You better young Miss!" Risa called after her, her accent layered onto every word.

"I will!" Reine laughed, waving back at Risa.

She quickly ran up to her room, flouncing onto the bed. Quickly connecting her phone with flatscreen, she touched the speed dial. Her parents were in somewhere in Europe, so it would be around evening for them. That meant they would be together. She bounced excitedly on her knees as she waited for their familiar faces to pop up.

"Reine darling!" her mother, Angeline Marseille, answered. "Rafael, come here, it's our baby girl!"

"Reine!" Her father walked over, his face joining her mother's on the screen.

"Alright...so…" Reine squealed, holding up the letter. "It's here!"

"Oh!" her mother's face brightened. "Have you opened it?"

"Yeah, what does it say?" her father asked.

"Well, I thought I would open it with you," Reine held up her letter opener and the letter.

"Go ahead," her father urged.

Barely containing her excitement, Reine slid the thin blade under paper, slicing it open. A few papers fell out as well as a the holograph disc. Eyeing her parents and puffing her cheeks up to show she was holding her breath, she pressed the button on the side.

* * *

Rin sat in his room, the lights off due to the storm. Not that it took much to knock their power out, the neighborhood wasn't exactly kept up. He tossed his phone back and forth between his hands. Should he do it?

After a few more minute's debate, he flipped the screen up and dialed a number by memory. It rang several times before a recorded voice announced that the person was unavailable.

Rin waited for the beep.

"It's me...Rin. Thought you might like to know I was accepted into U.A. High."

Thunder tumbled as rain streaked down his bedroom window. Lightning smeared white light across the sky, sending the shadows dancing around his room. He paused, almost unsure of what to say next. What did he have to say? Would he care?

"Got in on recommendation," Rin continued after a moment. "Anyways, if you get a chance, call back. Hope to see you soon, dad."

He hung up, tossing the phone aside.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading! Happy One Week Anniversary! *champagne for everyone***

 **Fun fact: Chapter four was written prior to chapter three, and then we received Reine and decided to introduce her into these three recommendeds.**

 **Thanks to:**

 **gold crown dragon creator of _Aramiya Yun_**

 **and**

 **Butterfly Chikage creator of _Reine Marseille_**

 **Next up: Entrance Exams ~ for all the 'regular' people ;)**


	5. Chapter 5

_Reviews with Alumni and Loki :_

 _Butterfly Chikage : Aah! We did our best to fix that little glitch. Anamiya is the correct name! On the Recommendations, I never found anything that said it was canon that there were an equal amount of recommended students in each class. Also Kendou got in during the basic examinations. So we planned on having three in class A, and one in class B. Yes Anamiya does have quite the backstory. Rin is an interesting person. I figured since her family traveled they would have a diverse staff. Well, we had a theme of phone calls so we just went with it. Just a bad connection, they were probably in some valley or something like that. Thank you!_

 _SSJC J : I'm glad you like the story! There are plenty of unique and quite interesting quirks!_

 _gold crown dragon : I certainly hope so!_

 _Supreme Kai of Booty : Yes a very interesting quirk!_

 _LifeisBeautiful17 : Well this chapter is full of new characters, hope you enjoy!_

 _Nekoreku : Thank you! Perhaps you can submit a character when we open again for Class B students!_

* * *

Keoko bounced on her toes, the tall gates of the Ground Alpha's testing area. She and Akio had been separated after their written test so there were no familiar faces around her. She didn't mind that. Time to make some new friends while they were waiting for everyone to show up. Her favorite blue scarf wrapped only once around her neck and trailing the ground behind her, followed as she looked around.

Some of these kids looked like they knew they could ace this without even breaking a sweat. Scary. Keoko scanned the crowds again. Surely there was someone that would appreciate a good conversation before the test.

Ah there. Her eyes lit as she spotted a boy wearing a headband that looked like it had her favorite band's symbol. She wasn't sure if it was, but it was close enough to strike a conversation. Walking over, she waved, smiling brightly.

"Hello, my name is Keoko Shimiz, are you excited about the test?" She asked.

Brown eyes flickering, Liam Crook eyed her for a moment; he couldn't seem to push away the instant wariness her appearance had caused. She was harmless….or was she? Just because she had an innocent air about her didn't mean she was that. She could be trying to throw him off his game, or she was trying to figure out the competition; it could be a number of things. "I suppose," he said stiffly, trying to ignore the tension that had gathered in his shoulders.

Instantly reminded of Akio, Keoko giggled, the sound coming out like an excited bubble. "I am too. My friend has been pushing himself training for this, which means me too cause I'm not going to let him beat me even though he's better. You remind me of him, Mister..." she trailed off, looking up at him.

"Liam," he said finally, though only because he wasn't sure how he would be able to avoid it. She would know his last name, he was certain of it, and he prepared himself for the reaction she was sure to have. They always reacted the same way when they knew who he was. "Liam Crook."

"Wait you sound American," Keoko's eyes brightened. "Are you a sort of foreign exchange student?" She asked, ignoring the ping in her head that reminded her that she had heard that name before. "This is so cool! I hope we both get accepted and are in the same class. American kids are so cute! My friend and I watch a lot of movies from the Early American Era. His favorite is Star Trek, that one with the really young...oh what's his name...I can't think of it now, it will probably come to me whenever I leave. My favorite is Star Wars...we are always arguing which one is best…but it's clearly Star Wars."

Liam blinked, taken back, then pressed his lips together in a tight line, fighting to ignore his growing feelings of discomfort. What did she want? She had to want something. Why hadn't she reacted to his name? Surely she knew it. She had to want something. She had to be playing some sort of game. He fought the urge to type his fingers against the outside of his leg as he tried to make sense of her. He could be wrong about her. She could be nothing that he was thinking she was. She was very loud and he didn't care for that but maybe she was just that, maybe she was harmless. Even as he tried to convince himself of that, he couldn't shake the feeling that she was some sort of potential threat.

"What do you think, Star Trek or Star Wars?" Keoko looked up at him. "You're American so I'm sure you know the ins and outs of your early culture."

Her question made him pause. He hadn't been expecting it, though he realized he should have. "Either," Liam said softly. His brother liked Star Wars, but Liam didn't really care. He had simply enjoyed spending time with Noah.

"Ah, you seemed like the neutral type," Keoko waved her hands in front of her. "Isn't the music great? The special effects are alright...but that's the 2000's for you." She looked up briefly catching sight of the tower. "Oh look! There's Present Mic!"

At the Pro Hero's appearance, Liam relaxed somewhat as he looked up and saw the blond. Things would be alright now, he was certain of this. He liked Present Mic, even though he was louder than anything or anyone he had ever encountered before. But a Pro Hero was still a Pro Hero, and Liam trusted them almost as much as he trusted Noah. Almost.

Keoko clapped her hands together, remembering the instructions they had received in the auditorium. Three types of robots worth one to three points, the fourth worth nothing. She listened eagerly as Present Mic screamed down some last instructions. He was so cool! Suddenly, the gates swung open and a buzzer sounded. Wait. No countdown?

"REAL BATTLES HAVE NO COUNTDOWNS WHAT ARE YOU STANDING THERE FOR?" Present Mic shouted, jolting the applicants into action.

Keoko's eyes sparkled as she ran into the Grounds. She jumped as she heard someone yelling angrily at...someone else. That was strange. She turned down a street, a few others ahead of her and some behind. Glancing around she touched a light pole. It bent and she quickly jumped on. The light pole straightened placing her on the roof of one of the buildings. Wind tossed her hair as she scouted the area for the robots. There! Lucky for her, the exam was comprised of robots. Her scarf rose off her neck and into the air, wrapping around another light pole. Grabbing the end, she swung off the building and onto the back of a three point robot.

"Gotcha," she smiled mischievously, pressing her hand against the cool iron.

Standing up she directed it down the street, running over a one point robot that got in her way. Taking the targeting systems, she aimed at smaller robots firing the beams of light. A shout behind her alerted her to one of the participants, charging the three pointer. No way she was losing three points. Letting the robot go, she flipped off the back, flipping the kill switch. Ha.

"Whee!" she laughed, landing on the ground, winking at the participant, who looked as if he would blow a fuse.

 **Keoko Shimiz! Quirk: Animation! With the touch of her hand she can animate any lifeless object! She can control a few large objects at a time or many smaller objects! The effect lasts until she claps her hands together to release the objects!**

* * *

Rokuro Saito's eyes blazed as he lifted a one point robot and smashed it into the two point rolling down the street towards him. The girl was running off down the street like she didn't have a care in the world. It only pissed him off even more.

1\. He could have taken down a three point robot.

2\. He could have killed her in the process.

Teach him not to study his surroundings more than a quick glance over. He cursed running down the street in pursuit of more robots. _Look at your surroundings more carefully, stop getting distracted by the end goal alone, why can't you be more like them?_ The all too familiar words pounded in his head making him even angrier. A red light flickered around his body as he plowed through a three pointer. At last. This fight was getting good. A thrill coursed through him.

"Bring it on!" he shouted at a group of one point robots that just entered the street.

* * *

 _Only a few minutes earlier…_

"When's he going to get here?" Rokuro huffed out a breath, glaring at the shut gates before him. "You think Teachers would be here first."

He backed up, wondering how Eizen was faring. Probably just as perfectly as always. Tch. Damn the old man, he was ready to prove that he could beat Eizen into the ground any given day. Just open the damned gates! He took another step back, not even realizing he stepped onto someone's foot.

"Be patient," Sutoi Daitenshi suggested; his gaze wandered over the other students, lingering on the female ones. When he caught himself, he flushed, forcing himself to quickly look away.

"Watch it," Hanami Kinoshita snapped, jerking her stinging foot away. Her eyes narrowed at the boy, whose white hair was in ridiculous spike. During this several second observation, she decided he was a clear waste of her time.

"Tch," Rokuro gritted his teeth, glancing back at her and moving to the side. When were they going to open the gates?

Rolling her eyes this time, Hanami folded her gloved hands together, refusing to acknowledge the boy again. He wasn't worth it. Besides, she had other things to focus on, such as what they were about to do. She was certain she would be fine, but she still wanted to blow them all away.

"Something wrong, _Princess_?" Rokuro noticed her stance, not biting back the words that came to mind.

"You're such a bastard," Hanami said, voice as sweet as honey though her smile was along the lines of ice. She should have just ignored him, like she had told herself, but now it was too late.

Sutoi sighed, glancing between them then looking elsewhere. This was ridiculous. Why were they fighting when they were about to compete?

"Oh yeah?" Rokuro twitched, her tone of voice hitting a nerve. Perfect. He'd be all riled up for the test and there was an extra fight to throw into the mix. "Well look in the mirror."

Hanami's cool expression did not waver. In fact, it seemed to have grown even colder. Bastard was an understatement. She could feel her blood beginning to grow warm with rising temper. "Go to-"

"This is pointless," Sutoi said calmly, pushing himself between them, though he wasn't sure it would do much good. "Cut it out. Both of you." He shouldn't get involved, but he couldn't just stand here and listen them argue.

"Hell?" Rokuro's blue eyes glimmered. "Sorry sweetheart, looks like it's already got you. Why would they need me?"

"I am not your sweetheart," Hanami said through gritted teeth, ignoring the blond's comments as she stepped around him. She was now able to focus entirely on the blue-eyed ass and the smug look on his face. Damn him. "Don't you dare call me that again."

"Never claimed that, though I'm sure you have no trouble getting a guy to call you that," He let his eyes wander down and back up in a way he knew would piss her off. Girls were easy to anger if you knew the right moves.

"You absolute pig," Hanami snarled, now completely forgetting her earlier decision as her temper kept increasing. How dare he think he could look at her like this? Did he have any idea who she was?

"I may be a pig, but who's the one squealing?" Rokuro's voice rose. He was thoroughly enjoying this right now. "You sure have a short fuse, sweetheart!"

"Like you don't have one," Sutoi murmured, wishing desperately that someone would show up so they could get this started. He wasn't sure how this was going to end but he wouldn't feel any sympathy for the other boy, that was certain.

Her eyes flashing, Hanami slapped him hard across the face, satisfied when she felt her hand sting from the contact of his face and her palm against one another. That would bring him down a peg.

"Ooh," Rokuro huffed a laugh. "You hit like a girl!" Flashes of red glimmered on his body as he got more invested in this fight.

Realizing by the look on her face that she was going to do it again, but probably harder, Sutoi quickly interjected again, though he didn't think it would do any good. "Why don't you to just stop this?"

"Shut up," Hanami snapped, not taking her eyes off the one with blue eyes. He was such an arrogant know it all and she looked forward to beating him, because she would. She wouldn't let him get anything more than what he deserved.

"Shut up," Rokuro snapped at the other kid, glaring at the girl. "Can't you do any better than that weak ass slap?"

"HEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYYYYY!" Present Mic's voice interrupted.

Grabbing the robot and flinging it down the street, Rokuro grinned. Such a great fight to start the test off with. When they had been running into the Grounds he had yelled a few more insults at her. Damn it made him feel good.

 **Rokuro Saito! Quirk Emotion Manifest: Rage!** **This quirk turns his raw emotions into a form of energy fueled by his rage! This energy empowers his body making him far stronger than a regular human capable of chucking around huge weights like they were bean bags!**

* * *

Relieved to finally be away from the other two, Sutoi took a moment, trying to get a feel for his surroundings before he held up his hand, pulling up an image in his mind of a large sword. A minute passed, then a chromatic light burst forth from his fingertips, shaping quickly into the desired weapon. He grinned, then spun around. He didn't have much time, so he had to act quickly. His talons scraping the ground, he ran forward, finding one of the robots and cutting it in half. He grinned again; he had hoped the weapon would work like this.

Knowing that time was against him, Sutoi wrenched his weapon free, then swung it around again, trying not to fumble. If he decided to use this weapon again, he would have to figure out a better hilt, something that would work better with his long fingers. Keeping that thought in mind, he went after another robot, slicing it down just as savagely, a glint creeping in his eyes that he wasn't fully aware of.

Something caught his eye, and he quickly turned after pulling his weapon free once more. It was another boy, ankle caught in some rubble. Sutoi's purple eyes widened as he saw the robot that was looming down on the trapped boy. Without hesitation, he ran towards it. However, before he could do anything, his sword flickered once, twice, then disappeared. Damn. He had run out of time on that and didn't have anymore to make another weapon. Thinking quickly, he slipped beneath the robot and grabbed the boy by the arm, pulling him savagely free then rolling to the side. Panting heavily, he jumped to his feet, forcing another sword from his light. It wasn't as strong as his first one, simply because he didn't have the time to do it, but it would do. He hoped he would make his parents and sisters proud.

Figuring the other boy would be fine, he didn't seem to be injured that much if any, Sutoi turned then instantly froze, bright purple eyes widening. He swallowed hard, glancing upwards at the robot that was approaching him. It was much larger than the others and he knew without a doubt that his new sword wasn't going to help much. Biting back another curse, he thought quickly, trying to figure out a new idea. He could come up with only one but it was all he had at the moment. Cursing softly, he waited then leapt, grabbing a hold of the robot's leg as tightly as he could. He quickly began climbing, praying this would work. If it didn't...well, it certainly would hurt. But a little pain always did him good. Smirking a little, he reached the spot he wanted and began stabbing his sword into the robot. It wasn't going as effectively as he liked but it was working and that was- the robot moved suddenly and Sutoi inhaled sharply as he realized that his grip hadn't been as tight as he thought. No, no, no- the deniel filled his mind even as he felt himself rapidly falling. Panic flared in his chest, followed by fear. Not again-

* * *

" _Sutoi!" Mirai called. "Come out come out wherever you are!"_

 _His eyes dancing, Sutoi gripped the roof tiles tightly with his fingers, determined not to move. He didn't want to give his position away._

" _I'm going to find you!" Mirai teased, scrunching her fingers like she would tickle him if she found him. She peered behind a bush, wondering where he was._

 _Swallowing back a laugh, Sutoi bit his lip, determined to hold back any and all noise. This was the perfect hiding place. She would never find him here. A sudden itch in his leg has him squirming. Maybe he could just hold on with one hand and use his other to get rid of that annoyance. Surely he could do that. Deciding this would be fine, he released one hand, wiggling slightly so he could reach the itch._

" _Ah ha!" Mirai lept behind a tree, knowing it was Sutoi's favorite hiding spot. Hmm, he wasn't there. That was strange._

 _So focused on getting what he wanted, Sutoi didn't give enough attention to what his other hand was doing and suddenly, he was falling. Screaming, he felt the air rush around him and the ground rapidly rose to meet him. Fear seized him and he could do nothing but brace for impact. Except it never came. Wonder replaced fear as he realized he wa no longer falling, but hovering in the air, assisted by-_

* * *

A pair of large wings. Suoti gasped as the memory faded but the wings did not. They were chromatic, just as everything he created was and he laughed with delight, taking a moment to simply appreciate the feeling of flight, something he had not experienced since the day so long ago. Nothing could beat this, nothing could ever top the wonderful sensations flying caused him. However, he only did this for a moment, before refocusing on his task at hand. He had a job today, a place to get here, and nothing would come between him and his goal. He would become a hero, he would save people, and he would show his parents that he could do this. With these thoughts in mind, he flew up, swinging his sword once more.

 **Suoti Daitenshi! Quirk: Hardlight Materialization! He can create and manipulate holographic light making it very resistant against sharp objects or elemental quirks! He can also create hardlight at a distance from him, as long as he can see or have a good grasp of where he is!**

* * *

Cursing that idiot under her breath, she had no idea where he got off thinking he had any right talking to her in the way that he had, Hanami forced herself to focus, knowing that while she had this handled, she still needed to give it more than half her attention. Pushing away any and all thoughts that were connected to that ridiculous white haired bastard, she reached down, quickly ripping both of her gloves off and putting them in her belt. A smile lit up her face as she flexed her fingers. She was more than ready to show that she belonged here.

Hanami took off, running past other students who she didn't give more than a passing glance to. They didn't really matter, not right now anyway. A loud crash drew her from her thoughts and she looked up then over to were the noise came from. It was a robot. She smiled as she took it in. While it was a smaller one, this would be a perfect start to things. She could only work her way up from here and well... she couldn't wait. She started running again, reaching out with her left hand. While the repeal wasn't as strong as it should have been, it still worked; going backwards, the robot crashed into a wall. As soon as it did,she released her One down, many more to go.

A familiar shout had her rolling her eyes as she went after another robot, this one considerably bigger than the first. Idiot. Shaking her head, she lunged at her opponent, rolling at the last minute. She reached up, slamming her left hand against one of its legs. The contact made the repealing all the more stronger and this time, the robot was sent much further away than the first one. Another one down. Hanami smiled again. She hadn't had this much fun before in her life. They say money can't buy happiness. Well, she could attest that it couldn't buy fun either.

Hanami straightened, only too inhale sharply when she realized that while she had been busy repelling, she had also been attracting. Damn. This was why she wore her gloves .Now, another robot was coming straight to her. Pressing her lips together in a tight line, she dodged. She could work with this. As the robot rushed past her, she reached out, brushing her fingers along the metal, whatever she was able to reach. Not a second later, this robot crashed into the other, metal making a horrible screeching noise as it scrapped against metal. Cringing at the sound, she straightened her shoulders, feeling as if she was doing a splendid job. After today, she couldn't be denied her position here. She would become the number one hero, one way or another.

Smirking, Hanami raised her hands again. She had an idea, and if it worked the way she wanted, it would surely show just how capable she was. Taking a deep breath, she worked on repelling and attracting against at the same time. Quickly altering the force, she made it bone-crashing; she braced herself for just how big of an explosion this would be.

"Look out!"

A girl in a blue jacket ran up the street. She stopped, opening her mouth, screaming at the monsters. The air warped around it and her scream seemed to have an eerie ring to it. The robots were flung over Hanami, tumbling to the street below in a crumbled mess of crinkled metal which looked like it had been punched by some massive force and folded in.

"What the hell?" Hanami gasped, wondering what exactly had happened. She had it under control. What did the girl think she was doing?

"It looked like they were going to run you over," she waved. "Didn't want you getting squashed!"

"I had it under control," Hanami muttered, then sighed. "Thank you," she said, feeling as if she should that.

"No problem," the girl gave her double finger guns and started down the street.

Shaking her head, Hanami turned, looking for her next target. She wouldn't let this interruption ruin her chances of showing just how worthy she was to be here, to be the number one hero.

 **Hanami Rakugaki! Quirk Magnetism Polarity! Her** **quirk allows her to magnetize people or objects and attract or repel them, depending on what hand she uses! Her left hand repels, while her right hand attracts!**

* * *

Kaede Kōmori found herself squashed in the crowds of people flooding into the arena. Fortunately, that had changed when everyone had scattered to find the robots. Phew. She was glad to be rid of those sticky sweaty people and free to earn her place. A lot of people were branching off fairly quickly, already displaying their quirks. Wow. She got a twinge of nervousness. Everyone was so talented, would she even impress the teachers?

Stop that, she shook herself, her wavy purple hair snagging in her hood. If she was going to help people she was going to need to believe in her abilities to save them. To do that she needed to attend the best Hero School in all of Japan.

"U.A. Here I come!" she shouted, running at full speed down the road.

Pausing, she faced a crossroads. Smirking she opened her mouth, singing a high note. Waves, seen only by her, rolled away from her searching for the targets. She could clearly see down the first street. Well, it wasn't exactly seeing, more like feeling. In high definition. Maybe she should just stick with seeing. It made more sense. Perfect. An entire street of robots with no one to bust them up.

Turning that direction, Kaede grinned eagerly. Adrenaline pumped through her veins as she started at a run. Around her she could already hear the fights breaking out between the kids and the robots.

Standing in front of her a two point robot towered. Easy peasy. Kaede opened her mouth, letting loose a high note. The metal creaked, before folding in on itself. She had targeted a weak area and was folding in the monster so it created minimal damage. It hadn't been necessary, but if this was a real life situation, she needed to do as little damage as possible to protect civilians and the city.

Evidently, from the crashes behind her, not everyone was doing this, but it made her feel good. Dealing with the robots on this street, she surged down another, looking for those in need of assistance as well as more points. Right now she had about fifteen points. She wasn't sure how many she would need to pass. Probably much more than that.

She turned down a street, just in time to see a robot skidding towards a girl with red hair. Another closed in behind her. Without thinking, Kaede stopped, screaming to increase the effect of her waves. She watched as they cut into the metal, sending the first robot flying over the girl and crashing into the second. The girl turned on her, yelling something. However, her ears were ringing, making it hard to hear exactly what she was saying.

What did she say?

Kaede bit her lip, she was probably thanking her in some form or fashion. Replying, she watched, trying to read the girl's lips. Oh well. She was pretty sure that 'Oh cash sis middle rad tilt' wasn't what the redhead had said.

"No problem!" she decided this was the best answer, giving her finger guns to cheer her up.

Running down the street, Kaede destroyed a few more robots, despite the ringing in her ears. She stopped, feeling the area around her. There was a collapsed building nearby. Her eyes widened, someone was trapped.

Eyes narrowing, she followed the sounds bouncing towards her. She needed to get them out before they were seriously hurt.

 **Kaede** **Kōmori! Quirk: Echolocate! Like a bat she can send out an ultrasonic wave from her mouth allowing her to pinpoint objects and people within her range of twenty feet!**

* * *

Fuyuki Moto took a deep breath, sliding the goggles on over her eyes. The robots in front of her posed a slight problem. Ever since the second part of the exam had been announced, she was slightly worried by the fact that her quirk would be utterly useless in crushing robots.

Well, this was all part of being a Hero. You couldn't predict what quirk the villain might have, so you must be ready for anything, even if that villain's quirk isn't in some way compatible with one's own. This would be like if she was up against a water quirk or a wind quirk. She had to outsmart the villain.

Tying a piece of cloth around her nose and mouth she watched as the robots slid closer to her. Boy wouldn't it be nice if she was accepted. It was rumored that First Years even got their own Hero Costumes in the first few weeks. A real set of goggles and a respirator would top her current gear.

The robot aimed its light beam at her, the base of it glowing as it prepared to fire. Suddenly a cloud of smoke enveloped Fuyuki and she disappeared from sight. The robot's scanner whirled as it tried to locate her. No luck.

Using the cover of her smoke to disappear, she edged around the robot reaching up and pulling the switch on it's back down. The robot shut down, its shining eyes flickering off into darkness. Laughing she did a fist pump. That had been easier than she had thought. The next robot flickered over her and she did her same disappearing trick again, reappearing behind it and flipping the switch. That was the thing about robots. They could fall for the same trick over and over again, as long as you executed it differently each time to throw off any calculation algorithms.

She wasn't dumb, and neither were these robots. The third swiveled its head when the smoke cloud appeared. Realizing this, Fuyuki created several smoke clouds before bursting out of one at random and flicking the switch.

This was so fun. Fuyuki rushed down the street in search of more robots. It was difficult, having to change her style of attack several times when she encountered a group of robots. However the challenge made it all the more exciting! Hopping in and out of her smoke clouds, she ran forward, the smoke following her like some dark cloud.

She enveloped herself in the smoke, trying to hold her breath as she started towards another robot. It moved suddenly, knocking her goggles askew. Smoke stung at her eyes, making them water, her vision blurring almost instantly. Stumbling she rubbed at her eye, trying to replace the goggles.

Her vision cleared just in time to see the robot rushing her. Gasping, she tumbled out of the way. The robot crashed into the building, pinning her in the middle. Concrete tumbled down, and Fuyuki dashed towards the spot of light. Unfortunately, the robot crashed to the ground, knocking her in the back and pinning her. Pain stung her shoulder where the piece of metal pressed her firmly to the ground. Gritting her teeth, she struggled to free herself from the rubble.

"Hang on, I'm coming!"

A voice from outside filtered through the rocks and broken robot. Fuyuki, despite her situation, began wondering if those points had gone to her or not.

"I'll get this off of you no time," the voice, a girl's, echoed slightly.

"No!" Fuyuki shouted back. "I've felt around. There are a lot of rocks depending on the robot to hold them up. You would have to be very careful removing them."

"That's a bit of a problem," the girl responded. "I can pinpoint the rocks, but I have no clue which ones to move or not."

"I do," Fuyuki said. "I can help!"

"Alright!" the girl said. "Whoa cool! You have a fire quirk?"

Dark smoke filtered through the rocks, pointing to one at the top. Fuyuki could easily pick them out since she had been feeling around. Her arms were slightly itchy, but she ignored them.

"No, my quirk is Smoke," Fuyuki replied.

"Well that's neat," the girl responded.

There was a low note, like the girl was singing, and then the rock flew off. That was cool. Fuyuki wondered what type of quirk she had. Together they worked, removing rock by rock until they could safely remove the broken robot.

"Thank you," Fuyuki bowed. "I am lucky you happened by."

"You're welcome," the girl responded cheerfully. "My name's Kaede Kōmori."

"Fuyuki Moto," she smiled, brushing dirt off her arms.

"Nice to meet you, Moto! I hope you pass!" Kaede responded.

They both looked up in surprise as a loud thundering was heard. It seemed to be crashing towards them at a fast pace. Kaede opened her mouth, singing a higher note than before. Her eyes widened and she grabbed Fuyuki's hand.

"We have to go, it's that zero point robot!"

 **Fuyuki Moto! Quirk Smoke! Fuyuki can produce clouds of smoke, like that from fire, from her skin, as well as control them. She can also feel things in her smoke as if she were seeing them!**

* * *

As the robot went down, Hikari Raiji glanced at it with deep satisfaction before turning, ready for the next challenge. She thought she was doing a rather splendid job so far ad had little doubt that she was making the impact she had wanted to.

Not a moment later, Hikari found what she was looking and called up a charge, letting it dance between her horns for simply a second, before it was sent into another robot. The force was strong enough that it was sent flying backwards, crashing into a building. Another one down. This was indeed going rather well. She wondered briefly about the other students, but decided she didn't really care. She knew that only twenty percent of the ones here would pass, but as long as she was one of that percentage, she didn't truly care about the others. It was what it was.

She quickly found another of the robots and pulled up a charge, sending it directly towards her newest target. The impact that followed didn't come as a surprise. Her Quirk was powerful; it wasn't arrogance but simple facts. She wasn't worried about getting her place her. She would get it. She suspected she had over an eighty percent chance rate of being a successful hero. She was sure it would be hundred by the end of her time here.

Hikari turned quickly, searching for another. She found it was ease and using her short stance to her advantage, she slipped between their legs, managing to avoid being hit by it, before scrambling to her feet and slamming it with a charge. At least it wasn't raining. That wouldn't do her any good. She pushed away the emotions that rose up at the thought. She did not have time for them. She needed to focus and fear would not help her win this. Emotions, she long ago learned, were mostly pointless. Facts and logic were not.

With this reminder, Hikari turned quickly, ready to find another of the robots. She was certain she had a good amount of points by now but she knew that it couldn't hurt to have as many as she could. What happened here today would change her life and she was determined she would do the best she could to make sure it happened. Something caught her eye and she quickly turned, surprise flooding her features. It had to be the one they were warned about but she hadn't been expecting to be so...huge. She pressed her lips together in a thin line, which turned into a frown. It wouldn't get her any points, but it might make the impact she was wanting be bigger. Her mind worked quickly, weighing the pros and cons of going after it, then she decided the former was where the greatest benefit was. Straightening, she charged forward, knowing this would be just what she needed to show the heroes watching that she belonged here.

This was the thought that encouraged her to move quickly towards the robot, drawing fourth a charge and readying herself to fire off as many as she could in order to take down her opponent. It would be a challenge, but she was certain she would manage to pull it off. Hikari was very sure of herself and this time was no different. She would bring the robot down,just as she had the others. After this, a nice cup of tea sounded splendid.

She slowed to a stop before she reached it, pushing away a sensation that she concluded was that pesky fear again, as she looked up at the towering metal form. Dust made her throat tighten and she coughed, running a hand across her eyes to clear them of grime. She wasn't sure how this would go, but she was confident it would be in her favor.

Taking a deep breath, Hikari focused intently. The charge slammed into the robot, but by the time it did, another had been drawn up and was following it quickly. Hikari kept going, repeating the progress over and over, despite the weariness that was dragging her quickly down. She wasn't about to let this one get the better of her. She didn't know how long she did this, doing the process over and over until her Quirk won over the robot. Victory was hers.

 **Hikari Raiji! Quirk: Polarized Horns! Her horns on her head have electrical charges to them! One negative, one positive! She can create a charge between them and emit a stick of lighting in whatever way her head's facing!**

* * *

Shifting back to his regular form, Liam slammed his baton into the metal, the impact making a screeching sound. It was horrible enough to make him want to cover his ears. Wincing as his ears rung, he changed again, sliding down the side of the robot as it came crashing down. He kept this form, sliding across whatever surfaces he came across. FInally, he slowed, then changed back, slamming another robot with his baton. He knew the weak points, from Noah who had done this so many years ago. Noah. He had to do well, if not for his own sake, but his brother's.

A loud noise, coming from his left, drew his attention and he glanced sharply in that direction. He found a girl, with two white horns, having just taken down one of the robots. One that was much larger than the others. He gave her a fleeting thought, one of reluctant acknowledgement of the impressive feat then turned, only to stiffen when he felt her gaze settle between his shoulder blades. What did she want? Nothing good, he was certain. She was up to something. She had to be. But what was it? He hated being watched, hated nothing nearly as much. Why was she watching him like this? He wanted to be left alone.

Deciding that he would take care of it himself, Liam shifted back to his shadow form, speeding along surfaces again, searching for the next. Distance would turn out beneficial, he was sure. Anything to get away from those prying eyes. He couldn't figure out what she had been wanting but it had to have been something. It always was. He had learned that the hard way, when he had been just a child. The memories made him bitter, just as they always did, but he did his best to ignore them, just as he did his best to ignore the questions he had about that girl. None of that mattered right now.

He shifted again when he found what he was looking for, and drew his weapon again, ready to bring this robot down as well. But before he could, something caught Liam's attention, taking it away from his task. It was two others, a boy and a girl and the latter seemed to have gotten injured. He stared at them for a moment, then turned, ready to face against the robot. But something stopped him. Did they need help? Or was it something...else?The question kept him still.

A moment passed, then two, before he made his decision. He knew time was running out, knew that the exam would be over soon, but he also knew what the correct choice was. With one quick movement, Liam drew his weapon then turned, going over to the girl and helping her up. Rather it was some sort of ploy or not, he didn't know but he supposed in the end it didn't matter. He would always have to make decisions like this and he supposed that at the end of the day, as long as he was able to do his job, save people, it didn't matter if he could trust their sincerity or not. Sometimes, though he would never admit it, he really hated his parents.

Liam did his best to ignore the eyes he could feel on him. They were always watching him.

 **Liam Crook! Quirk: Shadow Skim! He can morph into a circular shadow on the ground, that can move along essentially any surface, apart from water, and air! As a shadow, he can faster than most cars at his top speeds!**

* * *

Daisuki Kito lounged in the chair, tilting it back so he could view all the screens at his pleasure. He ignored the other teachers discussing the various contestants. These were strong kids. This year would certainly be interesting. He rolled his pencil over his fingers as his eyes flickered over to one of the screens. They were holding back, he could tell. Some of the injured kids didn't know how to work under pressure, or how to improvise. They could all use improvement, but only a lucky few would get to attend his classes. Or should he say...unlucky?

* * *

 **Another chapter! Not quite Saturday...oh well. Nice and long with hopefully a nice shot of each character! Next chapter will be the Beta Grounds and even more students!**

 **Thanks to:**

**alucard deathsinger creator of ****Rokuro Saito,**

 **Supreme Kai of Booty creator of Sutoi Daitenshi,**

 **clairvoyage creator of Hanami Kinoshita,**

 **61394 creator of Kaede Kōmori,**

 **MysteryAgain creator of Fuyuki Moto,**

 **Starblitz1312 creator of Hikari Raiji,**

 **and**

 **Peter Picked A Pickled Pepper creator of Liam Crook!**


	6. Chapter 6

_Sorry for the late update! Review were pretty general, so we are happy to say that we enjoyed playing your characters and we hope you enjoy this next batch. This concludes everyone in Class A. If your character wasn't displayed in the Recommendations, Grounds A, or Grounds B chapters they were most likely placed into Class B. We decided to make this chapter a bit shorter so we could still surprise you with things characters can do :) Enjoy!_

* * *

Yajima Rushaindo glanced at the watch on his wrist, watching the second hand click slowly by. He had stepped away from the others, unable to mingle with the uncivilized lot. Everyone was chatting or doing other nonsensical things to pass the time instead of thinking about the upcoming test and preparing themselves. Plus there was the energy in the air, such nervousness, he couldn't allow himself to be tainted and let it ruin his mood.

He was eager to prove his skill to the teachers, and become the hero everyone would adore. Finally out from under his parents, he would soar to the top of the popularity poll in no time. Then people would know him as Yajima the hero instead of a Rushaindo.

That was his dream, his goal, and he would see it fulfilled here at the best Hero Academy in the nation. Nothing and no one would get in his way and very soon he would be getting the praise he deserved.

He looked up, noticing someone had finally come. It was the Gun Hero, Snipe. He was not the most popular hero, but he was well known for his teaching position at U.A. High. A remarkable man, but simply a tepid hero.

"Alright, here's how it goes," Snipe's voice rang down. "You begin now."

The gates swung open and Yajima was glad he was at the head of the line. His sunglasses fit well his his linen shirt and pressed black jeans. Tossing the loose strands of his dark hair out of the way, he ran forward into the gray city. He was glad he was the first one into the Beta Grounds. After a quick burst of extra waves he discovered where the robots were. Perfect. Drawing his bow he quickly ran down a street. He didn't have a quirk that gave him speed so he would have to work as quickly as he could. Fortunately for him, his parents were loaded and could buy him any gadget he wanted. The bow fit with his personality, giving off the impression of an epic hero, like Robin Hood, a gentleman rogue.

Not to mention the arrows were the highest tech money could buy. It was safe to say he wasn't in any danger of running out of funds. U.A. High was a hard school, not something you could buy yourself into. That's what made this exam even more exhilarating.

Drawing an arrow back, he released it. It flew past two robots, embedding in the third and exploding on impact. Yajima ducked behind a pole as it's pieces flew in all directions, taking out the two robots in front of it. Another perfect shot. Behind him the other applicants flooded the streets in search of the robots that only he knew where they were positioned. What fun was this.

Running down the road he kept up this tactic, glad that he had carried extra arrows today. He passed a girl, fighting a robot with her fingers, which seemed to be many different shades of rope like material. He shot the robot, shooting her a winning smile as the machine came crashing down. She scowled back.

Note to self: if you wanted to impress a girl, don't steal her points right out from under her in an exam. The vast gray expanse spread out all around him, nothing hidden to him. Time to focus on the test.

 **Yajima Rushaindo! Quirk: Sixth Sense! With Yajima being pretty much blind, all of his senses are enhanced to tell his surroundings, but his quirk acts as his eyes! Yajima is able to send out radio waves that bounce back at him, acting as a form of echolocation but with radio waves instead of sound! The radio waves are always on, so Yajima "sees" the world only in shades of grey!**

* * *

The book had been awful. The dog had died and he hadn't been expecting it and by the time the test was close to being started, Eizen Satio had been more than ready to go on with it. He wouldn't pick the book back up, even though he really did want to know how it ended.

Shaking his head, Eizen crossed his arms, watching the others meel around him. He wished Rokuro was there with him, if just for his peace of mind, but he also knew his twin was perfectly capable of looking out for himself, despite the overwhelming worry Eizen had that he didn't. It drove Rokuro crazy but his brother seemed to have settled into a reluctant acceptance of it now. He tried not to think of everything that could go wrong, tried not to dwell on his worry for his brother.

He was tired, but that wasn't a surprise. Eizen never slept well, plagued often by thoughts that were either anxiety or despair prompted, depending on the night. It was an all around exhausting cycle, one he doubted he ever could break free from.

Snipe called for them to begin and Eizen was instantly drawn from his thoughts, focusing on the tasks ahead and not the invisible weight his shoulders seemed to be carrying He touched his gauntlets, then moved quickly, working his way from the others. He didn't care for large crowds and this was definitely that. He could only guess how many were with him out here, all wanting a chance to prove themselves, however they could.

It didn't take long for Eizen to choose a target; he had plenty to pick from. Quick on his feet, he held up a hand, aiming a dark blue burst of energy at the robot. The condensed form sliced through the metal, bringing it to its knees into a heap. The loud noise that happened when it fell made him tense. He hated loud noises, almost as much as large crowds.

Turning quickly, Eizen aimed at another robot, sending a surge of blue into this one as well. He caught sight of another boy, one much taller than Eizen. He wondered if he understood why he was here, what was motivating him. Because Eizen didn't. He hoped he would if he was accepted, because he wanted to understand what it meant to be a hero and what it would mean for him to become one.

Eizen turned away, focusing on his next opponent and slamming another blast of blue energy into the metal creature. He made certain each blast was controlled and carefully calculated, slicing right where he wanted. He knew the best ways to conserve his energy from years of practice with his brothers and father. He had to do this, had to get accepted. He knew this was where he needed to be.

A blast from the another robot had Eizen throwing up one of his arms, catching it with the gauntlet; it sent tingles throughout his arm but caused no other reaction, which he wasn't surprised by. Dropping his arm, he used his other side to send out another attack. When it crashed down, he almost smiled. Almost.

 **Eizen Saito! Quirk: Emotions Manifest: Melancholy! This quirk turns his raw emotions into a form of energy! Eizen's energy is a deep sapphire fulled by feelings of melancholy! His energy is rather limited and takes a while to replenish so he has to use it wisely and make every shot count! He utilizes this by focusing the energy into tightly condensed forms allowing it to slash through things!**

* * *

Genjiro Katou darted into the open gates as soon as he managed to leave the mass of bodies rushing in. Nervous tension coursed through his body as he sprinted along down a street. This was amazing. Exhilarating even. After the test, which he was pretty sure he bombed considering he had forgotten almost everything he had studied, this was a pleasant change. Here was his change to show off what he really could do. Of course fighting robots was different than training with a dummy so to speak, but really letting loose with his quirk would be amazing! Like in all other middle schools he'd been trained to use his controlled quirk. No one wanted an uncontrolled quirk, so he had trained with it a little to make it his own.

Here at a school like this, he would be able to expand the uses of his quirk and go beyond on so many different levels. Plus, so many opportunities at making new friends! Sure, the people at the restaurant were his friends, but fellow schoolmates would be stuck with him all day. The thought made him even more excited.

The sun glinted off his honey blond curls as he bounded through the robots, who in turn blew up. That was, if he got in. If his written test had been very bad they might not accept him. He pushed away the doubts and focused on the practical test.

He would be a hero!

The robots were letting out a lot of energy, especially when they struck the ground. He stood still just long enough for them to aim their beam of light or throw one of their metal punches at him. Absorbing it, he let loose, striking the robot and letting out all of its own force against it. When it crashed, he ran on ahead, searching for more.

A cry drew his attention and he rushed forward to an already felled robot. A kid was trapped beneath it. Biting his lip, he ran over, wondering if he had accumulated enough force to help. He had reserves, but he didn't really want to dip into them this early into the test.

"Hang on," Genjiro smiled brightly. "I'll help," he promised.

It looked like the kid had some sort of power quirk. The robot was all smashed inside and it looked like the kid hadn't gotten away fast enough, the metal biting into the kid's leg. Genjiro studied the situation a moment before placing his hands on either side of the squashed metal.

"I'm going to push it open, just slid your leg out when I do," He said brightly. "You'll be out of here in no time!"

The kid nodded and Genjiro took a deep breath, calling upon his reserves of power. He had kept a little back, in case he was caught in a tight spot with the robots. A sort of red light pulsed from his fingertips as he shoved the metal apart. The kid pulled his leg out and Genjiro smiled, feeling a bit drained. Wait a minute. This kid had a power quirk.

"Hey," Genjiro waved a little, shooting the kid a persuasive smile. "Can you kick me with your quirk?"

 **Genjiro Katou! Quirk: Force Absorption! He can absorb the energy and later project it for his own use! When he projects it back out it is in the form of what it was prior!**

* * *

Metal staff positioned in her hands, Akari Seishin tried to quickly figure out what her advantages were in this situation. She didn't have a lot but they would be enough. At least she hoped so. Her Quirk would not be able help her, not here, so she would have to rely on the years of training she had put herself through and hope she could come up with some sort of plan.

Taking a deep breath, she waited, not moving, at least not yet, as one of the robots came towards her. Her pink eyes narrowed slightly as she examined it as carefully as could. There had to be something, a switch of some sort, some way of disabli- there. The sight of what she was looking for, on the robot's metal neck, made a plan quickly form in her mind. It wasn't the best, but it was all she had, and she hoped that it would be enough to help her pass this.

Biting her lower lip, she continued waiting, right until the robot was nearly upon her then Akari slammed her staff against the ground and using it for leverage, swung herself into the air, keeping a tight grip on the weapon even as she latched onto her opponent. Gasping, she rested there, just for a minute, then began climbing, going steadily up. Good thing she was fine with heights. This wouldn't work out nearly as good as if she hadn't been.

Akari had known the robot was tall, but it somehow seemed even more taller now that she was climbing. Finally, she reached the area she needed and slammed the switch into the off position. The robot suddenly froze, halfway stepping down and Akari stared, unable to really believe that had actually worked but it had and she laughed with delight because holy crap, it worked.

Suddenly feeling much better at this, though she knew she would have to be careful to make sure the other attempts would be as successful, Akari jumped down, flipping mid-air before landing carefully on the balls of her feet. She didn't let herself take even a second to get her breath back after the stunt and turned, charging towards the others. She desperately hoped she could do this. This was the place she belonged; she knew it deep in her heart. She wanted to one day be as good a hero as Deku and this was where she would be able to do that. She just needed to pass.

Pushing away those thoughts, Akari focused on the task ahead, knowing it needed to have her full attention. She had to do this right. Biting her lip again, she jumped onto another robot, bashing the switch with her staff this time. It stopped, just as the first one did, and she took a quick second to check her Smartwatch. She was still doing good on time so they eased one fear that had been hanging over her.

She flipped back to the ground, years of practice making each of these movements graceful before turning sharply, readying herself to go after another of the robots. However, before Akari was able to get far, a panicked cry drew her attention and she looked in that direction, finding that two students had gotten themselves trapped by some metal. A moment passed, in which she tried to figure out her decision, then she realized her decision was already made. Someone was hurt. She had to help them.

 **Akari Seishin! Quirk: Mind Trick! She can implant false images and sensations into a person's mind tricking them into believing something else is occurring! It can affect animals as well! This also grants her protection against other mind-altering quirks.**

* * *

Yukiko Ikeda stood apart from the others as they waited for the test to begin. They were being overly loud, and she needed to concentrate. Her test had gone well, the extra studying having helped greatly. Silently she went over the instructions they had received. Robots, that was good to know. Her quirk would be most effective.

Pulling her hat down, she fisted her hands trying to dispel the feelings of butterflies dancing in her stomach. It had rained last night so conditions were favorable. But what if she let her quirk get out of hand? What if she hurt people, again?

The test would go well, just like the last one. Right? Staring off at seemingly nothing her mind raced until the gates suddenly swung open at the Gun Hero, Snipe's brief start. She found herself running, in the midst of the crowd. She wrinkled her nose at the foul body odours, pushing herself out of the mass as best she could.

Her goal. To get out of the throngs of people and get to a quiet area where she could demolish some robots. Away from people, lessening a quirk accident.

Funny, she was a girl who wanted to become a hero, but she couldn't bear the thought of using her quirk on others, even villains. She was an accident waiting to happen. She hoped that U.A would provide the help she needed. After all, she could be a rescue hero, using her quirk to help people. That would mean she didn't have to use it on people.

She slid to a stop, a monster towering over her. Taking a deep breath she ducked under its slow lunge, touching the metal. The robot froze, metal cracking. Ducking out of the way she barely missed the robot as it fell to the ground, shattering like a broken vase.

Taking a deep breath, she held her hand as it shook slightly. Calm down. Take a deep breath. Relax. Bring your quirk back under your control. She needed to find the next robot nd dispatch of it quickly. Taking off at a run, she searched for another, adrenaline pumping through her veins.

Three. Biting her lip she ran towards them, both hands outstretched. The temperature seemed to drop around her as she advanced. This reminded her of the kids playing tag back in the elementary grades.

One, two, three. All out. The robots crashed to the ground and Yukiko slid to a halt, breath misting from her mouth. So far so good. She had controlled herself, minimized the power of her quirk to the area surrounding her. She clenched her hands, making sure she had stopped lowering the temperature around her. She didn't want to freeze everything on site.

Turning around, she darted down an alley, hoping it was a shortcut to the next street. Ice crept along the walls behind her.

 **Yukiko Ikeda! Quirk: Absolute Zero! This allows her to lower both her body temperature, and lower the temperature of the water vapour around her, causing the water to turn into ice! The lowest she can make the water vapour to go is Absolute Zero, causing anything to touch the ice with bare skin to have frostbite with in seconds!**

* * *

As soon as the test began, Akio instantly worked himself away from the others, calling to the moisture that clung in the humid air. It had rained the previous night, so the advantage was his, but he was still somewhat nervous about how this would turn out. He could have gotten in on recommendation, but he hadn't; he had to prove that he was as worthy as his parents and siblings to carry the Saito name.

As soon as one of the robots neared, Akio held up his hand, palm outwards. His fingers twitched, just slightly, then a burst of water slammed into his opponent. The force of it sent the robot backwards, crashing into the side of a building. The sound the impact caused made him grimace, he really didn't care for loud noises, then he turned quickly, hand still raised as he moved quickly, searching for his next target. He hoped Keoko was doing good; he hadn't seen, or really _heard_ , her in his group so she had to be with the other one.

Shaking his head, he sent another blast of water out, slamming it against another robot. The strength of it was just as destroying as the first one was, and he was looking for his next opponent before the robot was fully on the ground. His Quirk had been more than ready to be released and now he let it do what it wished, going against everything it could reach. When the heat was not against him, when there was a constant source he could use, his water manalipcation was quite the force.

If he could pass this, if he could get into the Hero Course, maybe his parents would go through one dinner without fighting. Maybe. He shook his head, ridding himself of these thoughts. He had to focus, and thinking of the dysfunctional family he was forced to call his own would not help Akio do so. Something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye, and as soon as he realized what it was, he dropped low, avoiding a blast from one of the robots, before he sent one of his own towards it. It slammed into it, sending the robot flying backwards. He turned quickly, looking for another as he heard it crash somewhere behind him.

Years of watching his parents, his hero siblings, fight against villains, and the sparring that he participated in with them all had this feeling very natural to Akio and he realized he could not image doing anything else. He knew he would not be in the spotlight like his parents were, and his oldest brother, but could not see himself as a rescue hero either, as his Quirk was not the best to be around civilians. He thought perhaps he would go the same way Hitoshi was currently working on. An Underground Hero would suit him best. Staying away people, keeping a small measure of privacy. He wanted that, wanted to maintain his solace as much as he could, even as he worked on saving as many people he could.

 **Akio Saito! Quirk: Water! Basically he can manipulate water surrounding him within 500 feet! This includes bodies of water such as rivers, lakes, and even the puddles after a rainstorm! Also he can use the moisture in the air as well as his body!**

* * *

Hinata Rakugaki stretched, her hair falling into the left side of her face. What a great day for this test! She could use a good fight, especially after that horrible written test. Well, it wasn't as bad as the math tests in junior high, but it definitely wasn't a doozy. It was a good thing Haruhi had helped her study, else she would be in a world of hurt.

Grabbing her blue and red paint cans she ran alongside the buildings, drawing as she went. Just ahead, the robots were bearing down on her quickly. Stuffing the cans back into her jacket pockets, she ducked, manging to weave her way in-between two three point robots. Skidding to a stop, she started spraying a flower design on the stretch of concrete canvas before her.

The robots turned towards her again, as if they couldn't keep track of her. Well, were they in for a surprise. She had just finished everything she needed to so she could take them down. A mischievous smirk spread across her face as she disappeared into the flower.

Metal creaking, the robots turned, searching for their disappearing target. Paint oozed down the wall as Hinata popped out of her red soda can painting. She had run up three flights of stairs to hang out a window and paint this. Landing on the robot, she waved at the second, waiting until it came closer, to smash her. Glancing to her right she disappeared again.

Reappearing out of her blue cloud. She watched as the robots crashed into each other, effectively destroying the one with the blow meant for her. Awesome. This was absolutely fantastic.

"Yes!" she shouted to the wind. "That's it!"

Jumping again, she landed on the robot still standing, flicking off its switch before diving back in and out of the flower. Time to lure some more robots into her effective trap. Grabbing her green can that she had stuffed into her boot even though it stretched the leather out a bit. Oh well, it wasn't the first time. Her school had been full of her paintings. Of course the teachers hadn't liked it and she had done several hours of painting over. White was such a boring paint to jump in and out of.

Nice, this part looked like a road. Jumping into the painted lines, she quickly reached the end of the street. Taking her green can she shook it up, bedazzling the side of a building. She always had a plan to fall back on, in case the robots didn't take to her. If they chased her it would make things so much more easy on her.

"Come on, where are you?" Hinata sighed, searching the streets. "Aha! There!"

She dived into the paint lines, appearing in front of a large robot. Waving her can around she grinned up at it. Green paint misted on the ground beneath her feet as she sprayed, leaving her red and blue alone for the moment.

"Come on, big guy," She winked at the robot. "Let me take you down!"

She grinned as it swung at her, disappearing into the green form of a little snake. Reappearing in the paint lines a few feet away she glanced back. Good it was following her!

 **Hinata Rakugaki! Quirk: Graffiti! Graffiti allows her to warp from place to place by using paint as a medium for both her entrance and exit! As long as a surface has been painted on and is 200 m from her position as well as visible to her she can warp to it while maintaining the velocity she had when entering the paint!**

* * *

Her black hair pulled by into a ponytail that swept with each movement she made, Kaori Tsukinose watched the robots, dark eyes calculating as she quickly came up with a plan, followed by two, no, three, backups, on the off chance the first one did not work in the way she thought it would. She was certain it would, as her calculations always proved correct, but she had learned that it would always be beneficial to have others in place.

Quickly adjusting her speciality goggles, they rested on top of her head for easy access, Kaori reached for two of the throwing knives she had in her belt then turned her gaze onto the robot she had decided on. She waited a moment, taking in everything that she was able to see, before her eyes narrowed slightly. She had found just what she wanted. A half of a second passed, then she had switched herself with the rock and slammed her knives into its weakest area. She jerked them out quickly, switching positions again with the rock as the robot crashed into the ground.

Her plan had been successful. Of course it had. Considering it had had a 98.6 percent of succeeding, she couldn't say she was surprised that it did. Turning away from that one, her gaze instantly locked onto another robot that was quickly filling the field of her vision. Plans quickly formed within moments then she was off, going after this newest opponent as well in a flurry of precise movements.

She had aced the first part of this exam, and she wasn't worried about this part either. From a strictly strategic standpoint, Kaori was very aware that she was at a very high advantage in all of this test's areas due to her quick mind and years of diligent training. In trust, she probably could have gotten all the needed points a long time ago. However, this was prime time to show just how capable she was, so she was, which was highly. It was not arrogance, but a simple fact that soon everyone else would understand as well.

As she destroyed another of the robots, bringing it to the ground in a heap of metal, something caught er eye. It was another of the possible students, prompted by anger as they fought. She frowned, shaking her head. Emotions would not assist in being a hero. Logic and knowledge would however. Kaori thought it would be best if others understood this, sooner than later.

She glanced up as she heard the countdown begin, followed by the release of the zero point robot. Kaori frowned, just slightly, then turned, finding that going after it would not prove favorable for her. She had other options that would be work better.

 **Kaori Tsukinose! Quirk: Slight! With her Quirk, Kaori instantly switches the location of herself, others, and objects within an area slightly smaller than her field of vision! This range can be increased to everything in her field of sight if she's swapping herself with an inanimate object!**

* * *

Haruto Hanko rolled the sleeves up on his pineapple printed shirt, his arms glistening in the sunlight. Staring straight ahead he focused on the robot in front of him. This would be fun. The test hadn't gone so well but that was to be expected. Here is where he could really shine. A chance to prove he was U. worthy.

His scales tightened as he faced off with the robot, smashing into it as quickly as he could before it had the chance to attack first. He simply slammed into each obstacle as it came along, not planning out an attack like some of the students. His raw power suited this task well enough.

His scowl grew as he remembered the kids who had snickered at him when he had walked into his junior high a few years ago. How was he hero material they whispered among themselves. Well, here he was, at the entrance exam for U.A. High. He would fight his way to the top in no time at all.

Smashing into another robot he paused as he heard a voice speaking above him. 30 seconds until the exam was over. If he had been counting right he was up to 45 points. He wasn't sure if that was enough, but he was having fun smashing into the robots.

Suddenly people were running past him at their top speed, screaming their heads off. Haruto stared around him in confusion. Why were they all running? This was a test, they should be using these last few minutes racking up points. What was going on?

There was a loud crash and Haruto looked up. Oh that's why. The enormous zero point robot from the explanation loomed over him, rolling down the city, smashing buildings like bugs under its feet. Looked like fun.

Yes, he knew it was worth nothing, but if he was going to have fun during the exam this robot looked like a challenge. Stretching his glistening arms above his head he started at a run for the robot. He was faster than the average human so he reached it in no time. Gripping his webbed fingers, he felt the coolness of his scales as they rose along his clenched knuckles.

Yelling at the top of his lungs he grabbed the robot's giant foot, smashing the metal in and trying to pull it out from under it. It smashed down an arm on him, which he blocked, his scales straining. Roaring he shoved it off, smashing against it with all his might. It groaned, losing balance at the sudden onslaught of power.

"Time's up!"

Haruto looked up as the voice came over the speaker. The end of the exam. He rolled his shoulders back, examining his scales. That had been fun, now was the torturous wait for the results.

 **Haruto Hanko! Quirk: Fish! This gives him a more impressive physical build and gives him many attributes of a fish like scales and webbed fingers and toes. He can swim, run, and fight better than most people due to training in the water, his superstrong scales also allow him for better offensive and defensive strength.**

* * *

"So, Aizawa, what do you think of the kids who took the exam today?"

Daisuki Kito leaned against the hallway, effectively blocking the path to the doors leading out of the building. Their meeting, discussing each applicant's quirk, prowess, exam paper, battlefield exam video had dragged on well into the evening. His dark hair fell into his eyes, arms crossed, as he glanced at the other teacher.

"Surprisingly promising," Aizawa said after a moment, tone dry. The only sign he gave of not wanting to be there was the slight twitch of the scar along his face. He wasn't one for conversation, but he might have been a touch more willing if it had been with someone other then Daisuki Kito. The other man's hiring had been less than thrilling. He had never thought he would miss Toshinori until his replacement walked through the doors for the first time.

"I agree, but some were quite the arrogant little bastards," Kito adjusted his glasses. "It will be interesting whipping them into shape, eh?"

Aizawa grunted, letting Kito decide what exactly the answer was, wondering briefly why he had cornered him like this. He was certain the other man simply lived to make his existence as bad as possible.

"You'll have the brunt of it, being homeroom teacher, I get the fun part," Kito arched an eyebrow. "How many are you going to expel this year?"

"Depends," Aizawa said, fighting back a sigh. Kito had never understood the words "get lost" before, and he doubted he did now, but he was tempted to try. He had patrol tonight, and he had been hoping for a few hours of sleep, though that hope was slowly dissolving before his eyes. He checked his phone, finding the time, and a text from Shinsou. He fired off a reply, reminding him he might be running late tonight.

"Plus there are the recommended students, quite powerful. I can't believe they are going to accept two bow wielding students. Oh well, they want to explore their quirks," Kito continued, ignoring the look on Aizawa's face. "Putting the twins in the same class was quite surprising as well. I would have put the hot head in class B, but Principal thinks he belongs with the A class. He knows best I suppose."

Did he? Aizawa wondered. He had thought he did, but hiring Kito was making him highly doubt that. He didn't bother replying, knowing the other man could well carry on a conversation beside himself, just as Mic had always been able to. He suppressed another sigh. What did Kito want? It had to be something. It always was, as long as they had known one other. Which was a horribly long time now.

"Well, I should let you go," Kito straightened. "Don't be late for first day of class now, Aizawa."

Relieved to be finally allowed to go home, even though it would only be a few hours now, Aizawa grunted again, resisting the urge to remind him that had only been once. "See you tomorrow, Kito," he offered, simply because he had been warned to play nice, twice now, and he was doing his best to do so.

"Yes tomorrow."

* * *

 **Thank you for reading! Just so no one is confused they will be back tomorrow for more work on who gets accepted. Tomorrow isn't the first day of school. Speaking of the first day of school, that will be covered in our next set of chapters :D See you then!**

 **ObieSenpai** creator of Yajima Rushaindo

 **alucard deathsinger** creator of Eizen Saito

 **LifeisBeautiful17** creator of Genjiro Katou

 **SSJC J** creator of Akari Seishin

 **Penguin Thing** creator of Yukiko Ikeda

 **tinycolossus** creator of Hinata Rakugaki

 **Hofund** creator of Kaori Tsukinose

 **Attackin** creator of Haruto Hanko


	7. Chapter 7

_Many thanks for your reviews in anticipation for the chapter! We will go back to answering each review for this chapter!_

* * *

Rin pulled his backpack on, making sure all the burners were off and the note he wrote was clearly visible on the kitchen counter. Double checking the fridge to make sure his mom had enough for the week, he walked out the door. Turning the troublesome key in the lock he took a deep breath. No more smelling drugs, no more of his mom's boyfriends at night, and no more paying rent. If he left, then she would probably use some of her own earnings so she had a place to hook up at. Ignoring the yells echoing into the hallway from the room next door, he jogged down the stairs to the front door, letting it swing behind him. It was still fairly dark, the one streetlight blinking as it died a slow death. He had already managed to ship his bed and desk to the dorms with his savings. What he had left easily fit in the backpack, and since he wanted to ride the bus to work tonight, he opted for walking to school this first day. The fading stars twinkled their goodbyes overhead. It was almost peaceful, except for the sirens in the not so far distance.

Out of nowhere an arm wrapped around his shoulders. Rin stiffened as a familiar voice leered at him above his head. He should have expected this. Too far from the bus stop, no chance of meeting a hero on these streets. Grinding his teeth he hunched his shoulders.

"So Rinny boy, word on the street is that your going to _Hero_ school."

"Get off." Rin tried to pull away but the arm tightened.

"Oh don't worry." The speaker's bad breath seared against Rin's cheek. "We only have a message, which won't take long. You won't even be late for school."

Rin looked up, disgust in his face as he pushed the young man's arm off his shoulders. The young man laughed, raking a hand through his long orange hair. Out of the shadows of an alleyway a girl walked up, her outfit accenting a figure that made her look twice her age.

"Ichiko, Haruko," Rin said flatly. "So you have a message?"

"Aren't you grumpy today, little brother," Haruko sneered, grabbing a fistful of Rin's blond hair. "You should be grateful a message is all we have."

"Leave big brother, Rin, alone," Ichiko scoffed, crossing her arms.

"Well are you going to tell me?" Rin grimaced, trying to ignore them.

"You thought you could escape with that smart ass phone call?" Haruko shook him, knocking Rin's glasses to the ground. "Do you think Dad's happy with your career choice?"

"You should have left well enough alone, Dad's plenty mad that you refused his job offer." Ichiko pouted at him.

"We were sent to tell you that you won't like Hero School," Haruko spat in his ear. "And dad's waiting when you finally man up."

Rin grabbed Haruko's arm with his right hand, silver light pulsing along his arm. Haruko cried out, turning deathly pale and staggering backwards. His arm began turning purple just before Rin released him, letting him fall to the ground.

"What is this?" Ichiko backed up a step.

"Bastard," Haruko coughed.

"I don't care what you tell dad about my quirk," Rin tightened his hands into fists. "But I'm stronger than you, so don't think you can threaten me."

"Looks like you've got a bit of Dad in you yet," Haruko laughed maniacally, though he still looked pale.

"I'm nothing like Dad." Rin held out his left arm.

Golden light pulsed and Haruko flinched, giving Rin a bit of satisfaction. They knew he wasn't to be messed with again. The color was restored to Haruko and his arm lost its purple hue. Rin grimaced, he never did like the rush he got after draining so he was glad to get rid of the extra energy.

"Well, you better watch yourself," Haruko's face twisted with hate.

"We'll be back." Ichiko watched him as they turned down an alley.

Rin sighed as he watched them go. Evidently, he wasn't going to get a moment's peace. He picked up his glasses, brushing them off. Fortunately the lenses hadn't broken. Sliding them back on, he continued towards U.A. High. A new school, a brand new chance at life, but his past still stalked him in the dark of the alleys.

* * *

" _Hey, Rin," one of his fellow classmates called to him. "I hear you're going to apply for U.A. High. Is that true?"_

" _Yeah, someone recommended me." Rin gathered his books._

" _Going to a rich snob school?" the boy wrinkled his nose. "Why don't you go to one of the local hero schools? Hang out with us poor kids?"_

" _I feel like it's the school for me." Rin shrugged._

" _I hear your the first student to ever apply from this junior high," the boy shrugged. "Too good to hang out with us anymore, Rin?"_

" _No, I won't forget you," Rin grinned._

" _You might even see a few of us out on the streets," the boy smirked back at him. "You know the demographics. Most kids from this area become villains before they turn thirty."_

" _Well, I'll make sure to keep a prison cell open for you," Rin shot back._

" _Just make sure it's a good one," the boy laughed. "Heated floors."_

" _No promises." Rin shook his head._

* * *

Rin stared at the doorway to class 1A. Taking a deep breath he reached for the handle. His legs ached, unused to walking so far to school. Time to begin his journey. Wiping away any traces of the wear and tear of his old life, he opened the door, stepping inside. He blinked, staring at the sight before him.

"You want to say that to my face?" Rokuro yelled, turning in his seat to face the girl in front of him.

"You heard me," Hanami shot back, looking not at all fazed by his anger. He was such an idiot. How did he get accepted too? Her opinion had not gotten any better of him since their confrontation at the physical exam.

Right. Why did this feel no different than the middle school he left? Rin pulled the backpack on his shoulder more securely and walked down. He was like a plastic toy put in some collector's box by mistake. He felt out of place, obscure, in this strange world. Looking around, he noticed the girl from the recommendations exam, but she seemed busy chatting with another girl. Hm, he wasn't sure if he was ready for her...eagerness. Maybe there was someone else around here. He scanned the crowd. Well, there was the two from earlier still bickering like a married couple. Lots of purple hair, must be a trend. His own blond curls hung limply after getting squashed by Haruko. Adjusting his glasses, he scanned the desks again. A guy with a fish quirk, judging by his...fishyness.

Making himself promise never to say that aloud, Rin hunched his shoulders, wondering where to sit. There was the boy from the Recommendations exam. Rin grimaced, he had pretty much made a complete fool out of himself. Damn that energy rush he always got. Maybe he would have a second chance, his seat was the one in front of him evidently. Walking over he swallowed the lump in his throat, shooting him a confident grin.

"I'm Rin Nakamaru from the exam," he said brightly. "Remember me?"

Anamiya had been, rather foolishly, hoping to be alone, in the corner almost at the very back of the class, but it was clear he wasn't going to be. But Rin seemed nice enough and didn't make him nearly as uncomfortable at the others did. Why were they all so determined to be as loud as they could possibly be? He really didn't know. Realizing he had taken a rather uncomfortable length of time to answer, he nodded quickly, trying to fight the urge to pull in on himself.

Rin sat down, tucking his bag under his legs to make it less noticeable. One of the first things he had noticed were the pristine school bags. It was going to be hard, pretending like everything was alright twenty-four seven.

Looking out the window, Anamiya tried to tune out the rest of the class, but found that it was hard. The two that had been arguing since they got here were still at it, which was no surprise, and they were both getting louder it seemed. He sighed softly. At least people were leaving him alone.

"Are you living in the dorms?" Rin asked, deciding this was the best place to start.

Anamiya startled, then nodded slowly, cautiously glancing up at him. He seemed a lot...calmer... than before which made sense, considering what he had said about the energy he got from using his Quirk.

Rin nodded, "I am too. Third level. Pretty high up like my apartment. You don't think there is a curfew, do you?"

Shrugging, Anamiya stared at his hands. He didn't know, hadn't really thought about it. He was also on the third floor, though he wasn't sure if he was willing to give that information, at least not yet.

"Too bad," Rin sighed. "I hope not." He looked around, wondering where the teacher was. It was about time for class to begin.

Shrugging again, Anamiya kept his gaze on his hands. He hadn't given it much thought, probably because he preferred his room to anything else and would be fine there, as long as he could.

"You're right behind me, guess I'm one of your cheating partners," Rin said, grasping for things to say. "I'm pretty good in mathematics and science, but don't trust me when it comes to history and foreign languages."

Anamiya blinked, startled then shifted slightly in his seat, not looking up. "I like history," he murmured.

"That's good," Rin nodded. "Too bad I'm in front of you."

It took Anamiya several tries but he finally got the words "I can help outside of class," out. They almost choked him but somehow didn't.

"Really?" Rin's eyes brightened. "You'd do that?"

Anamiya nodded, ducking his head slightly. "Yeah," he murmured.

Run stared at him for a moment, wondering if Yun was sincere. No one helped each other study, you just cheated if you were next to someone who excelled, usually in a trade deal where they could cheat from you. Things were different here, and this wasn't the last time he would be reminded of it.

"That's really nice of you," Rin said quietly.

Anamiya shrugged, pushing his foot along the floor. "You helped me," he said simply.

"You're nice," Rin decided after a moment's pause. "I like that. I don't know a lot of nice people."

Not at all sure how to respond to that, Anamiya decided to just not do it. Instead, he shrugged, picking at one of his fingernails.

Rin leaned back, the people in front of him were still yelling some nonsense, but it didn't feel like he was back in the same part of town his junior high was in. That was a relief.

"Hey!" Reine jumped in front of the boy's desk. "I remember you, Cool Hair Guy," she pointed at the kid with the black hair with the orange streak. "Recommendations Test right? Too bad we didn't get to finish our conversation. We were talking about hero goals right? You know I've always wanted to become a hero-well ever since I was a little girl-because of how many people out there become villains because of bad circumstances. That's no reason to become a villain you know, there are lots of other ways to handle bad situations, it's just that people need to realize that there are other ways of handling problems. Which means those with the solution need to-Oh hey I remember you too Guy with the Glasses, you were at the test too right?-anyways it's up to heroes to provide the way of escape for these poor people! If you attack the problem at the roots you're sure to conquer anything you set your mind too!"

Rin blinked, wondering how she had said so many words in only a few minutes with one or two gulps of air. He still hadn't kept up, and was wishing her quirk was captions or something that made it easier to follow the train of the conversation. The accent didn't help.

At the onslaught of words, Anamiya shrunk back, suddenly wishing that somehow he could switch places with the boy behind him, but he didn't think even that would be far enough. The girl was a whirlwind, a flurry of loud noises and even louder words, and he wasn't sure how he was going to deal with being in such close quarters with her. He hoped she would leave him alone.

"Anyways that's my goal in a way," Reine tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I've already gotten to know some of the people sitting around me so I thought I might finish this row. Everyone is so friendly, we should all make a big friend group! Like a squad or something!" she clapped her hands together excitedly. "Oh have you noticed? The teacher is late, should we be worried or something? Maybe he was mugged on the way to class! No, that wouldn't do, he would be a pro hero because the school only hires pros. Maybe he had to stop a robbery or something cool like that. They'll walk in dusting his hands off and saying something like 'It was nothing'. That would be so cool! Don't you think? I think so, I wonder what our teacher is like? First class so he or she would be our Homeroom teacher. They have to be cool, all pros are cool."

"Find your seats, everyone," Aizawa said cooly from where he stood behind his desk. Even though he did not mention any certain names, his gaze was on the girl with blue hair: Reine Marseille. After patrol last night, he had done a thorough read up on all his new students, wanting to know them as well as he could before class began today. His gaze roamed over the other nineteen; only a few had noticed his arrival a few moments ago, including Akio Saito. He wasn't surprised about that one.

"Yes sir, sorry about that, I didn't realize you were here! I'm not to far from my seat, it shouldn't take me long," Reine waved. Scurrying back to her desk she sat down, her big eyes glimmering with excitement.

Aizawa's eyes narrowed, just slightly, then straightened. She was going to be a handful, but not in the way that Rokuro Saito and Hanami Kinoshita were. He was tempted to change seating arrangements for one, but had a feeling that distance wouldn't help the two any. "For the ones who don't know me, I'm Shouta Aizawa, your homeroom teacher. To start off today, you'll be having a Quirk apprehension test."

Keoko watched, bright eyed, throwing a few wadded up pieces of paper at Akio to tell him she remembered him mentioning their teacher before. This was quite exciting. A Quirk Apprehension test, she wondered vaguely what that would entail. Of course their teacher would be analyzing their different quirks, but was there more?

After glancing at the first one, Akio ignored the rest of the wads of paper that he could feel hitting him in the back of the head as he listened to what Aizawa was saying. From the siblings that had gotten into the Hero Course at the beginning, he knew what this was about. He swallowed hard, much more nervous than he wanted to be.

"Change clothes then meet me at the P.E. grounds. Fifteen minutes." With those words, Aizawa turned and left the room, in a flourish of black. He was curious to see how well this group turned out to be.

Rokuro stood up, rolling his shoulders back. He liked the sound of that. Quirk Apprehension. A good way to let loose with all the anger he had stored up encountering that idiot girl again. It irked him for her to be in the same class. He purposely stepped in front of Eizen before he could slid through the gap between their chairs. That was the other thing that pissed him off. Eizen had been put in the same class as him. They had better places to put him, like Class B or somewhere else that didn't involve him sharing another day with Rokuro. Baring his teeth he let out a sound of disgust, moving on.

Eizen didn't react, not at first, but once his brother moved on, he released a breath he hadn't been aware of holding. He didn't understand Rokuro, couldn't began to, and it made his heart ache. He took a moment, closing his eyes briefly as he slumped from the weight of it all, then opening his eyes again, he forced himself to stand. It was so easy to drown in his own thoughts.

Kaede grinned, jumping up and following the others to the door. This would be great! She wasn't sure what the test would be like, but getting to use her quirk so much was awesome! Going to the girl's lockers she quickly changed into her PE clothes, eager for the fifteen minutes to pass.

Once she got to the lockers, Kaori changed quickly into the suitable clothing, then pulled back her black hair, tying it off into a ponytail. She took a moment, listening to the excited chatter of the others that surrounded her. A swell of...something...filled her her chest, but she pushed it away. Emotions, she long ago realized, really did not help anything, not in the long run.

Genjiro joined the others outside, bouncing happily as everyone gathered around one by one. His first day! Eyes glowing with excitement, he examined the students around him. He glanced up as their teacher approached them.

"This test," Aizawa said, dark eyes looking over the students as he spoke. All twenty. Good. "Will allow you tryout your Quirks. There wil be eight parts in all."

Liam listened carefully, frowning slightly. What was the point of that? It couldn't be as easy as he was making it sound. There was definitely an angle of some sort, as there always was, but he just wasn't what it was.

Fuyuki grinned, thinking of the fake pencils tucked in her bag. She had done this too many times at her Junior High for anyone to trust her, but here was a fresh lot. Perfectly normal pencils, but their leads were fake. You couldn't even break them. She snapped out of her revalry as their teacher began speaking. Eight parts for trying out quirks huh? She best get her mask and goggles on, good thing she brought them along.

"This won't be fun," Aizawa continued, reflecting for a moment on the last class he had told this too. He wondered how this newest generation would compare. "Far from it. Whoever gets the lowest amount of points will be expelled." He wasn't surprised by the shock that instantly filled the students' expression. All except one, which he made a note of. "Is that understood?"

Yajima leaned easily back trying not letting the teacher's words worry him, but he was frowning inside. It wasn't like he wasn't expecting this. He knew his quirk wasn't the offensive kind. He'd just have to work hard and...show off for the ladies. Damn, the class was full of hotties. Girls like hard working men. He would show them all he was worthy of U.A. High.

Sutoi swallowed hard, tense with nerves. They had all worked so hard to get here...would it be over, just like that? He glanced around, seeing that most of the others had the same uneasy look that he knew he did. Would one of them really get expelled? He had no idea but the look on the Pro-Hero's face had him certain that he wouldn't hesitate in doing it.

A ghost of a smile crossed Aizawa's face as he looked over the students, one-by-one. "Let's begin."

Yukiko found herself as one of the first making the fifty meter dash. How to use her quirk. Adjusting her stance, she waited for the teacher to start them off. She wasn't sure who the other students were, and didn't especially care. As long as she controlled her quirk and didn't hurt them, she would be fine. She was here to learn. Frost shot from her feet as soon as they started off and she slid down the course. The robot beeped telling her her time. Nice, first place. Pulling at her hat, Yukiko stepped aside, waiting for the others.

Anamiya knew he was holding himself back but he saw no other option at the time being. There was still a lot of tests to come and he knew he wouldn't be able to do them if he lost control, the little that he had, of his Quirk; he had a high pain tolerance, but it wasn't that high. He swallowed hard, feeling vaguely ill. He really didn't care for big crowds; he also didn't care for being carefully watched, which Aizawa was doing now. He knew the man was also aware that he was holding back, but he wasn't sure what he was going to do with the knowledge.

Painted lines were no problem. Grip strength was a bit edgy, considering gripping a paint can didn't require ground breaking strength. However she did the best she can and for some of these tests that was all she could do. Hinata wiped her forehead, hoping the teacher would see it that way. Surely each test would look at a different style of Quirk each time. There was no way to ace every test. At least, she hoped so. Waiting for the others became the perfect time for 'Friend Scouting'. It was going to be their first night at the dorms. Provided, everyone wasn't staying at the dorms, but tonight was going to rock.

A lot of the tests were a struggle for Akari, as her Quirk was on the mental side, but she was determined to do her best anyway. She was glad to see others were as well; she was sure they would all get through this. She really hoped that Aizawa wasn't serious about expelling, but she heard rumors and she was scared to find out. They had all worked so hard to get here.

Haruto huffed in a few breathes, jumping from side to side. So far these tests had been breezes. If this was what school was like there would be no problems acing these tests. Next test was a ball throw. No problem. When it was his turn he stepped back, throwing with all his might. Being stronger than the average human it made a fair distance that he was pleased with. Stepping back he waited on the others to go.

Her eyes sharp and calculating, Hikari accepted the ball from the boy in front of her then moved it between her hands for a moment, trying to get a feel for just how much it weighed. This, she was certain, would work the best, as it had a high chance of success. She tossed it suddenly in the air, then called up a charge, which instantly slammed into the ball, sending it fast and far. She didn't have the upper body strength of some nor the physical Quirk of others, but she could always find the best option that would work to her advantage. She felt fairly confident about this too. She knew she was good.

Rin sighed as the ball rolled only a few feet away from where he stood. Without draining someone he had no extra energy, and he had a feeling draining a classmate wouldn't work out too well. Besides, he didn't really want to. His mission was to become a rescue hero, not an attack hero.

Push ups were probably the worst thing Hanami had ever done, but she gritted her teeth and kept going, determined to do her best even though her arms were trembling from the strain. She wasn't about to let Rokuro Saito have anything else to taunt her with. She was sure she had never met a more frustrating person in her life. Rolling her eyes at the thought, she focused intently on her task. She wanted to do everything she could to prove her place with this group, that honestly, for the most part was incredible.

Keoko winked at Akio. They had a time limit, not a number of push-ups. This was the day she was going to beat him. Ever since they had started training to get into U.A. they had always made a competition out of push-ups. He always beat her because he was all 'Mr. Dedicated to his Gym Membership' and he usually didn't need to stop for snacks. She didn't either really since she learned how to push up with one hand so she could animate her water bottle.

Akio rolled his eyes, fighting back an amused little smile, then returned his attention to the task at hand. Somehow, she made the push ups they did into a competition, and he knew that she was determined to beat him; years doing stuff like this with his siblings at their house had made him a fair expect, though with Keoko's drive and determination, he wouldn't be surprised if she bested him. He hoped she did, though she would never let him hear the end of it, so he also hoped she didn't.

When Aizawa blew the whistle, Keoko sat back, breathing hard. Even with all her training this was still really hard.

"Forty seven," she stared hard at Akio.

Akio shrugged a shoulder, taking a moment to get a sip from his bottle. "Fifty-two."

"Aah!" Keoko threw her scarf over one shoulder. "Again!"

Shrugging again, Akio just raised an eyebrow, staring down at her. She was getting closer, though he didn't think she fully realized this.

"It's time for the long distance," Keoko stretched. "And I thought toe touches were bad."

Akio smirked, just a little at that. They were slowly making their way through the tests and he thought they were all doing well. He supposed all the hard work they had put into getting ready was paying off.

Aizawa was watching every single one of them closely, but there was a few that his observant gaze lingered on more than others. One such student was Anamiya Yun. Nezu had given him a head's up about the boy and after reading up on him, he could see why the principal had an interest in him. He hadn't seen such power since Izuku Midoriya and remembering the previous three years well, he had to admit he was somewhat apprehensive about the next three years. This group of students were doing surprisingly well. There was some control issues, among others beside Yun, but that was to be expected. It was nothing that couldn't be worked with. Something caught his attention and looking away from Yun, who was about to take on the long distance run, he sighed deeply as he saw where the noise had come from. Of course it was Hanami Kinoshita and Rokuro Saito. He would eventually have to deal with that issue, but right now, he wasn't certain what he was going to end up doing about them. A sharp cry had him quickly turning his attention back to where Yun had been running. He was now crumpled on the ground, clearly in some sort of pain and it didn't take Aizawa more than a second to realize what must have happened. The boy had used his Quirk and clearly too much of it. He swore, then began running the short distance between him and his student. "Nakamaru," he called over his shoulder.

Rin ran up, looking a bit guilty, "Eh, Aizawa...I might have killed one of your bushes on accident."

Aizawa could count on one hand just how many times he had ever been caught off guard. This was one of them. However, he decided that would be a conversation for later. He didn't say anything, just raised an expectant brow at the boy, then kneeled beside Yun, whose face was now several shades of pale.

Rin reached out with his left arm, holding it out over the clearly broken ankle. Using the life force of the bush he had accidentally sucked dry moments before, he focused on the area. Golden light wrapped around his arm, pulsing and disappearing into Yun's leg.

 **Rin Nakamaru! Quirk: Quintekinesis! He can control the life-force of any living being! With his right arm he can drain life force, adding it to his own, and with his left he can fill another living being with life force from his own. It speeds up the healing factor in people so he can heal an injury in only a few minutes!**

Yun's rapid breathing slowed as the pain receded and though he knew what Rin could do, since this wasn't the first time they had gone through this, it still caught him off guard. "Thanks," he murmured, wishing he hadn't been so stupid. He had been so careful and now he had messed everything up.

"Well it's my job as your personal physician," Rin grinned, sitting down to take a break. He was beginning to wonder if he could get by with another bush, since his turn in the race was fast approaching.

Anamiya smiled, just a little. He wished he had better control, but at least he had Rin who had helped him more than he could ever thank him for. He suddenly remembered their teacher was there as well, and when he did, a large lead ball of nerves found its way to his stomach. He couldn't shake the feeling he had just messed up the slim chance he had to began with.

Aizawa offered a hand up to Anamiya and once he was certain the boy was steady on his feet, he turned his attention to Rin. "Let's talk about that bush."

Rin flushed a bright red, "Yes, Sir." He jumped to his feet, using the little bit of energy he had left from said bush. "See you later, Yun!" He waved, before hurrying to catch up with Aizawa.

* * *

A part of him had expected this, but when he looked up and saw that his name was the lowest ranked, it still hurt like a punch. His chest tight, Anamiya stared, wishing he could look away but not able to. What was he going to do now?

"I didn't do much better," Rin walked up to Yun. "If he expels you, he would have to do the same for me. You really tried you know."

"But it wasn't enough," Anamiya muttered, his gaze finally going to his feet. It was never enough.

"Maybe he could change his mind?" Rin looked a little hopeful.

"I don't change my mind," Aizawa said flatly, looking between the two, his eyebrow raised. "But I also know some are more interested in being Rescue Heroes than Pros, and some don't have much control, if any, over their Quirk."

Rin looked up, "Does that mean we have a 'Get out of Jail Free' card?"

Aizawa stared at them for a terribly long moment. "That's one way of looking at it."

"Thank you!" Rin bowed. "I promise I won't let you down."

"Thank you, sir," Anamiya murmured, eyes wide against a pale face. He couldn't believe this.

Nodding shortly, Aizawa turned, quite certain he had made the right decision with these two. "All of you, get back to the classroom," he called.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading! Sorry for the extremely long wait, I, Alumni, fell ill two weeks ago and had little brain power :P Hope you enjoyed!**


	8. Chapter 8

_Reviews with Alumni and Loki:_

 _gold crown dragon ~ Yep the squads are beginning to form!_

 _61394 ~ Indeed, just a glimpse of the first day_

 _LifeisBeautiful17 ~ Just skimming though the quirk test since its mainly covered in the anime/manga. We wanted to give the readers a sense of chaos because no one starts school out in a new place with a squad. I'm glad you noticed! This will be the last time where all POVs are displayed in one chapter so don't worry! Glad you like Aizawa (Loki)! Thanks I'm feeling like a human again (Alumni)!_

 _Supreme Kai of Booty ~ Thanks, feeling normal again (Alumni)! Glad you liked this chapter!_

 _Starblitz1312 ~ Oh just in case you are wondering, Haruto and Haruko are two different people (Alumni whistles trying to pretend she didn't mess up by making a character with a one letter difference). Haruto is our fish quirk student, Haruko is Rin's orange haired bastard brother. Woo hoo another person noticed! This chapters starts out with some squad building and ends with some squad building actually..._

 _Attackin ~ Don't worry! Haruto will pop up again!_

 _MysteryAgain ~ Yes, we didn't want to dwell on the Quirk test since it was done in the anime/manga. Yep budding friendships!_

 _Peter Picked A Pickled Pepper ~ Glad you liked it!_

* * *

"Hey, are is anyone else sitting here?"

Keoko smiled, waving at the boy sitting alone at the far table in the lunchroom. He looked lonely, so she had targeted him specifically. She knew he was in their class but she wasn't sure about his name.

Her question, which somehow had each word loaded with cheer, had Eizen staring up at her for along moment of silence. "No," he said finally.

"Great." Keoko slid into the seat, placing her tray down. "I have another friend coming, he's just a bit slow getting his food." She laughed, picking up her chopsticks. "I'm Keoko Shimizu, but please call me Keoko. What's your name?"

Eizen released a breath. "Eizen Saito," he murmured, trying to ignore the headache that was beginning to pound away at his temples. He wondered where Rokuro was, but decided his brother was fine. More than likely.

"Whoa, Saito, really?" Keoko said around a mouthful of udon. "My friend's name is Saito also! What a coincidence….wait are you related to Akio Saito? Boy if he didn't tell me…"

"Akio?" Eizen shook his head, glancing up briefly. He didn't know the name. "No, I'm not." He only had one family member here to his knowledge.

"You are absolutely positively most confidently sure?" Keoko stared at him. "Because it's the same last name and all…"

"I would know if I was," Eizen promised, turning back to his food. He could still feel her gaze on him.

"Akio do you know him?" Keoko decided to get a second opinion as her tall friend sat down at the table beside her. "He's a Saito and it's weird because you have the same last name but he doesn't know you."

Akio glanced briefly at the boy, then sighed. Why hadn't he kept a better eye on her? He didn't look like he really felt like conversation, which he could relate to. "I don't know him either," he said finally.

"Really?" Keoko said suspiciously. "You could be like...fourth cousins thrice removed."

Akio shrugged. "We wouldn't necessarily know each other if we were," he pointed out.

"Right, that means you are going to have to take a DNA test," Keoko's eyes glittered. "You could be related."

"We don't have to," Akio said quickly, seeing the same expression on the other boy's face.

"Aw man," Keoko pouted, picking up an udon noodle with her chopsticks. "It would be so much fun though. I guess you are right…"

"I am," Akio said dryly, turning back to his food.

While he would have preferred to be left alone, Eizen was finding that he was grateful for the other's chatter...or more especially Keoko's. It gave him something to think about, to distract him from his brooding thoughts.

"Akio." Keoko nudged him, sneaking glances over her shoulder. "Look."

Akio did without asking why, used to her whims. He wondered what he was about to see. Three girls with dark black hair strolled through the tables, laughing and chatting among themselves. They all looked identical, and despite being in just the school uniforms, they radiated a powerful aura. "Who are they?" he muttered, not liking the looks of them. He had an uneasy feeling when looking at them.

"Don't you know?" Keoko whispered. "They are the Fates."

"The who?" Akio murmured back, wondering how he was supposed to know this.

"Come on, I read about this in some big interview back at the Sports Festival," Keoko shook his arm. "They are from class 3A right now. They're the triplets everyone calls the Fates."

Akio pulled away, feeling if he didn't, she would rattle his brain with this action. "Why? Is it their Quirks?"

"Uh huh," Keoko nodded. "They are extremely powerful and word is they could run the school if they wanted to. They are on Pro Levels!"

Eizen could not say he was terribly impressed and ater one more look, he turned away, focusing instead on his food again. His head was still hurting.

"Have you heard of them, Saito?" Keoko turned towards him, stirring her noodles absentmindedly.

"Eizen," he corrected, knowing it would get confusing fairly fast as there were now two with that last name. "Yes. Bits and pieces."

"What do you think?" Keoko grinned, glad to know that he wanted them to use his first name.

Eizen shrugged, taking a bite of his food. He couldn't really taste it.

"I think you and Akio are definitely related," Keoko sighed, taking a bite. "You are all shrugging and small conversations. I bet you grunt some answers too," she looked between the two.

"You talk enough for all of us," Akio said with a smirk, unable to resist. She had given him the best opportunity.

"That's right I do…" Keoko trailed off realizing what Akio just said. "Akio!" she exclaimed. "What was that for?"

Akio gave her a lopsided grin, then resumed eating. He wasn't able to tease her much, she was usually far too fast on her feet,so every chance he got, he took it.

"Did you see that?" Keoko looked at Eizen. "He looks all sweet and innocent but then he comes in out of nowhere and does that!"

Despite himself, Eizen gave a small smile, thoroughly amused.

"What am I going to do with him," Keoko sighed. "Hey it's almost time for class, it's combat class, right? I wonder who our teacher will be."

"Someone named Kito," Akio said, quickly finishing the rest of his lunch. He had gotten distracted.

"Kito," Keoko looked thoughtful. "He would definitely be a Pro because that's all the school hires. But I don't recognize the name. Maybe he isn't a big time pro like Aizawa."

Akio shrugged, not entirely sure about anything other than Aizawa's distaste of the other man. "No idea. Just heard it from my brother."

"You hear everything from your brother," Keoko sighed. "Too bad he didn't get to meet the Fates. Oh well. I wonder what Kito is like."

"I didn't even say what brother it is," Akio muttered even as he wondered the same.

"Oh well, we'll find out," Keoko shrugged. "Isn't that right, Eizen?"

Eizen looked up, having gotten lost in his thoughts. "Right," he agreed quietly.

* * *

"My name is Daisuki Kito. I'm your combat teacher. Today we are going to do a little on-site training so get your costumes on and assemble at Grounds Alpha."

Rokuro twisted in his seat as the new teacher clicked a button and lockers emerged from the wall. Aizawa had explained their costume sketches that had been part of the applications had been created by Hero Designs and that they would most likely wear them during training. Perfect. He was looking forward to this. Hero Designs always tries to fit the costume ideas with the quirk, making them the number one Support Company in Asia. It wasn't long before he was dressed in the baggy sable trousers, flames dancing up the folds of the fabric running up his legs. The only thing left in the case was the most essential part of his costume.

The gauntlets.

They gleamed silver, lines etching out the design of a lion on each arm. They fit perfectly, catching the light as he moved. Perfect. Just what he needed. Rolling his shoulders back, he walked towards the designated meeting place at Grounds Alpha.

Eizen dressed quickly in his navy gi, finding it practical and comfortable. But it was the silver gauntlets, dragons etched in them, that gave him pause. He took a moment, admiring the design then slipped the on. They fit perfectly, just as his costume, which wasn't that much of a surprise. He took a deep breath, straightened his shoulders, then went towards the meeting area. He was beginning to think Rokuro was purposely ignoring him. He probably was.

Kito stood at the entrance to the Grounds Alpha, tapping a watch with one finger as students arrived in alone or in groups. His eyes flickered across the groups. What a class.

"Follow me," he ordered, walking into the city scene.

He kept up a quick pace, not about to let any of them have any leisure. This was a test, just like the one they had this morning. It would strengthen their teamwork if he had anything to say on the matter. When they arrived at the ten story building, he stopped, facing the students rushing to keep up with him.

"This test will evaluate your closed combat skills," Kito said slowly, watching their faces. "You will be divided into teams of two. One team will be Villains, the other team will be Heroes. Two students from the following group will represent Hostages the Villains have taken. Heroes start off with a set amount of points representing the trust society places in Heroes. The Villains have nothing at the beginning, but depending on how they operate I will add points, representing the attention a Villain can receive from the Heroes' goal is to rescue the Hostages and take down the Villains, causing the least amount of damage they can manage. I will take off points for every bit of damage you cause, even if its a crack in the wall. The Villains' goal is to keep the Hostages and capture the Heroes. I will add points for damage you inflict unless it engages the structural integrity of the building. That would just be stupid, don't you think? Box is over there," he paused, jerking his head toward an open box on a table. "Everyone take a piece of paper and get together with your partner. I'm going to the building across the street to observe you in the camera room they set up. Don't think you can sneak anything past me. You will have fifteen minutes to complete the mission."

He stood back, watching as each student took a paper from the box.

 **Team Heroes:**

 **1** **Rokuro Saito and Kaede Kōmori**

 **2** **Yukiko Ikeda and Yajima Rushaindo**

 **3** **Anamiya Yun and Kaori Tsukinose**

 **4** **Hinata Rakugaki and Fuyuki Moto**

 **5** **Haruto Hanko and Akari Seishin**

 **Team Villains:**

 **1** **Akio Saito and Eizen Saito**

 **2** **Liam Crook and Hikari Raiji**

 **3** **Rin Nakamaru and Genjiro Katou**

 **4** **Sutoi Daitenshi and Hanami Kinoshita**

 **5** **Keoko Shimizu and Reine Marseille**

"First team," Kito announced walking towards the other building where he would observe. "Heroes. Rokuro Saito and Kaede Kōmori. Villains. Akio Saito and Eizen Saito. Hostages are Yukiko Ikeda, Yajima Rushaindo, Liam Crook, and Hikari Raiji."

All three Saitos managed to get into the first teams. Funny. Randomized pieces of paper huh. He wouldn't have put it past the Principal to have arranged the papers in a way that each person received the paper they were supposed to. He didn't care. Just as long as he evaluated these students.

Rokuro smashed the paper in his fist at Kito's announcement. Against Eizen huh? That would prove interesting. They hadn't sparred in a while and Rokuro had gotten stronger since then. He'd crush Eizen first chance he got. Who was this Kōmori person he was supposed to be a Hero with?

Akio glanced at Eizen, who after a moment, met his eyes. The look on the other boy's face was unreadable, but the way his lips were pressed in a tight line indicated he was troubled, at least somewhat. Akio had a guess it had to do with Rokuro. He couldn't judge; he had his fair share of complicated siblings. Sharing a nod, he turned away, readying himself and hoping Eizen was too.

Kaede brushed her purple hair to the side as she approached the kid she was supposed to be teamed up with. She only remembered who he was because they had taken the long jump quirk test together. The four Hostages gathered nearer to the Villains before entering the building.

"Hey partner," Kaede waved, her cape billowing behind her as she approached him. "What's the plan?"

Rokuro glanced at the girl dressed in a dark blue costume. Plan? It was simple. They'd bust their way in, get the Hostages out, and take down the Villains. Especially the one in the gi, with the dragon design.

"We kick some Villain ass and get the Hostages down," Rokuro replied, cracking his knuckles as he headed towards the building.

"Uh, no, we need to evaluate the scene," Kaede argued, quickly catching up. "Assess the danger the Hostages could be in and pinpoint the location of the Villains. Then we need a method of attacking that ensures the safety of the Hostages. We need to approach with the utmost caution."

"Are you coming?" Rokuro called over his shoulder.

Kaede sighed, perhaps she needed to stop thinking like a police officer and more like a Pro Hero. Still, some sort of plan seemed better than just running in there. Maybe they could formulate a plan once inside the building. Her thoughts turned to Kito's warning. If their attacks caused damage to the structure points would be taken off. She wondered how many Heroes had to start with. Getting the hostages out would be hard. She would have to focus her echolocation on a single person, and not miss her target. Not sure what kind of quirk Rokuro had, she hurried to catch up with him.

Akio was pleased at how well he and Eizen worked together. Neither of them were terribly big on conversation, but they had quickly developed an effective way to converse that relied mostly on actions, rather than words. With a plan in place, Akio could do nothing but wait for the other Saito and Kōmori to show up. Trusting that Eizen knew his brother well enough to predict what he would, he glanced over his shoulder, though it was more out of reaction to thinking about Eizen then anything else. The other boy, along with the hostages, was out of sight. Shaking his head, he turned back, focusing intently on his surroundings.

"I'm going after Eizen Saito," Rokuro said as they rounded a corner. "He'll put up a hell of a fight and I know him best. You should go after the other one. I saw his quirk is water. Your quirk should hold up just fine."

Kaede nodded, stopping at a stairwell. "Let me check this floor." She sent out a low note listening as sounds came back to her. "They just split up. One's taking the hostages further up, the other's blocking the way. There's a stairway to the right. Both let out where the one villain is standing. We should take separate stairs. Depending on who it is up there one of us can get by him and go rescue the hostages."

During the few minutes they had been walking, Kaede had learned that Rokuro liked to plan while he walked. He still seemed like he wanted to punch his way through any obstacle though. Maybe he just wanted to fight his brother. Kaede shook her head trying to remember what the other Saito's quirk was. Well if Rokuro didn't want to do anything but fight his brother, she would need to capture her villain quickly, rescuing the hostages while the brothers fought. Fingering the capture tape she wondered if Rokuro would take his.

"Fine," Rokuro said. "I'll take this stair."

"Wait for me," Kaede said lightly. "I'll tell you when I get to the other stairs. That way we end up at top at the same time. She tapped the earbud piece they had all been given for the class.

Hoping he would listen, though she kind of doubted he listened to anyone, she ran for the second staircase. Frequently checking his position with her echolocation, she felt a sigh of relief when he waited. At least he was listening to her basic strategy. "I'm there," she spoke, the earbud relaying her message. It was a short jog up the stairs, and both of them came face to face with the first Villain. Akio Saito.

Akio's eyes flickered, taking careful note of Kaede Kōmori, then gave a small, ready smile. He was relaxed, his stance made purposefully so, but his eyes were watchful and not a movement escaped his attention.

Rokuro appeared on the stair moments after the batgirl. Not Eizen. That meant he was with the Hostages. Well he just had to get through this villain so he could take down Eizen.

"Go, I've got him," Kaede shouted, stretching the capture tape in her hands. "Get the Hostages to safety!"

Rokuro was doing exactly as Eizen had predicted but Akio wasn't surprised; the other boy seemed very in tune with his twin, though it wasn't hard to tell from the little Eizen said that it didn't go both ways. Turning his attention from the other Saito, he focused on the girl. His fingers dug into his palm, just slightly.

Right, all alone. She had never fought someone hand to hand before. Quirk to quirk as well. She wasn't great at targeting someone specifically in a fight. Kaede pulled the retractable bo staff from her belt. It was cool all the things she had drawn had been provided with the costume. She would stick to not using her quirk, unless absolutely necessary.

Grateful that she was going this way, he knew vibrations and water didn't mix all that well, Akio drew his knives, picking two of the smaller weapons that hung at his belt. He wasn't at all sure how his knives would do against her bo staff, but he would do what he had to.

Remembering she needed to play all aspects of a Hero, Kaede straightened, still keeping an eye on the Villain. "I Hero, give you a chance to surrender," she said, wondering how this would play out.

Akio did his best to look menacing, though his height helped him pull it off. "Not going to happen," he grunted.

"I thought not," Kaede sighed. She lunged at him, capture tape in one hand and bo staff in the other. Her dad had taught her a few things, and she would put his advice to practice.

Akio dodged, swapping at her but trying not to actually strike her with his weapons. He didn't want to hurt her, despite how much he wanted Eizen and him to win.

Kaede jumped back, pivoting on one foot and launching another attack. She needed to get the capture tape around him.

Akio had never been so welcoming of Keoko's stupid scarf until now; different weapon but same idea behind it. He dodged again, then reached out, kicking her hard in her legs.

Kaede ground her teeth, letting out a squeak. The sound rippled out as she unintentionally used her quirk, though the sound was so soft it did no damage. Falling back, she adjusted her stance, keeping her weight off the leg he hit.

Pulling back, Akio watched her, wondering how his partner was doing. Working on keeping his breathing under control, his eyes flickered slightly.

Kaede took this moment to locate her own partner. Evidently he was fighting on a floor with his brother below the Hostages. Good, once she managed to capture this Villain she could get to the Hostages. It just required getting the tape around him. No big deal…

* * *

Rokuro pulled back, panting for air, his eyes flaming with rage. His gauntlets shimmered, reflecting the red flashes of his aura. He couldn't even land a hit on Eizen! Anger pulsed through the bulging vein in his neck as he launched himself again at his twin.

Eizen stumbled back, bracing himself against his twin's newest attack. He was getting tired but he refused to relent. He also knew that Rokuro was just as stubborn, if not even more so, and he needed to be ready to keep going for as long as his brother saw fit.

Rokuro clenched his fists, red sparks of light seeming to dance around his fingers. Yelling, he launched himself at Eizen again, aiming a punch, kick attack at Eizen's left side.

Eizen instantly dodged again, meeting his brother's red with his own blue. They knew each other to well for this to be anything but equal.

Rokuro twisted, trying to get behind Eizen, throwing another kick. This was the day he was going to beat him!

Eizen did his best to keep his back to the wall, knowing where his twin was aiming to get. Damm, his brother was stubborn.

Rokuro growled, dropping suddenly and slamming his legs against Eizen's knees. He was going to bring the damn bastard down once and for all and prove himself.

Eizen crumpled instantly, but rolled at the last minute, slamming his fist hard into his brother's face. He hated hurting him, but he saw no other way.

Rokuro ground his teeth, ignoring the pain brought on by the punch. Rolling to avoid any more blows, he jumped back to his face, swinging at Eizen with renewed energy.

Eizen quickly followed and stood, hating the look of pure fury on his brother's face. Nothing hurt as much he was sure.

Throwing a combination of his kicks and punches he doubled his efforts to take his brother down. He needed to do this and go get those Hostages and win this.

Eizen managed to counter each blow, but only just barely. His brother was a whirlwind of fury and sharpness and it took Eizen every ounce of concentration he had to block each other.

Rokuro's eyes snapped as he came down with a flurry of blows. Keeping this up meant Eizen would tire soon. He would win, and show them all that he was going to becoming the greatest hero in the world.

Eizen had no problem admitting defeat, he really didn't, but he knew that if he did, Rokuro would never, in all the rest of their lives, shut up about it. He wasn't sure why but his brother seemed to have a score to settle with him.

"Five minutes left," Kito's voice boomed over a speaker.

Kaede clenched her fists, only five more minutes. They needed to end this. Pulling up her mask, she pulled back ready to use her quirk.

Knowing what she was intending to do by the look on her face, Akio knew he couldn't let her do it. Knowing he didn't have any other choices, he called to the water that he had nestled into his vest pocket then slammed it against her. Not enough to hurt, he would never forgive himself for that, but enough to stun.

Kaede stumbled back, water stinging her vision. Her mask protected her mouth and she let loose a small echo to disrupt the water.

Akio didn't let himself get distracted. He slammed another wave of water into her, wondering how long this would be able to go on. He didn't have an endless supply.

Kaede was prepared this time, aiming her note at the water, dispersing it before it could reach her. She gripped her bo staff, singing another note, aiming at him.

Akio had known he wouldn't be as lucky this time around so he wasn't surprised by this turn of events. He was quickly running out of options but something out the corner of his eye gave him a rather desperate idea.

Kaede whirled her bo staff, trying to make sure her vibrations didn't damage the wall. Letting loose one last note she ran towards him.

Akio swore silently, then dodged, trying not to trip of his feet when he did that. He really hated his height sometimes.

Kaede kept after him, running a couple of steps on the wall, and using her bo staff launched herself against him.

Moving as quickly as she was, Akio kept dodging, avoiding the swings of her bo staff, though at times the weapon came a little too close for his own comfort.

Kaede let out another note, hoping to knock him down this time. She needed to get to the Hostages.

It was only be sheer determination that Akio kept going. He couldn't let Eizen down. They only had a few more minutes left. They were so close. With this in mind, he kept going, wondering if she had figured out what he was doing. Probably not; he was still trying to figure it out himself. Then he found his opportunity. All he could do was just hope it would work. Using the last of his water supply, he blasted her with it, fast and hard.

Kaede blinked, drawing back and singing a note to disperse the water. She glanced back too late, somehow he had gotten behind her. She was unable to stop herself as she stumbled backwards.

"Sorry," Akio grunted, feeling somewhat apologetic as he wrapped his arms tightly around her. This would give him the upper hand but not cause her any harm, other than perhaps give her a headache. He squeezed tightly, wandering once again how his brother learned to do this.

Kaede fought, grabbing at his arm, but she couldn't use her quirk when he was behind her. Her vision blurred and she slumped unconscious in his grasp.

As gently as he could, Akio laid her onto the ground, knowing she would be fine. He turned quickly, wondering how long they had ow and how Eizen was doing against his brother. From what the other boy had said, he wouldn't be surprised if neither of them had won.

"Time is up." Kito's voice rang over the speakers. "The Villains Won."

* * *

 **Hello again! Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Some forming of squads and bonds! Also a peek of next week's chapter with the layout of Heroes vs Villains. I hope you like the twist to the test! Also a mysterious set of triplets called the Fates *eerie music***

 **Alright here's what we (Loki points at Alumni)...I have done...I've totally forgotten the quirks I set up with these Fates. So I'll let the reviewers submit ideas via review! Just remember that they have to be powerful and not necessarily all the same...and perhaps related to their namesake the Fates from Greek Mythology...**

 **So submit your idea in your review as to what Quirk you think the Fate Sisters should have!**


	9. Chapter 9

_Replies from Alumni and Loki:_

 _gold crown dragon ~ Yes it is!_

 _61394 ~ It's a good thing they are attending U.A. then!_

 _Supreme Kai of Booty ~ Hmm, not sure which one will be best *shrugs* we will have to see how he reacts!_

 _LifeisBeautiful17 ~ Nice quirk suggestion! Kaede is sweet!_

 _MysteryAgain ~ Saito's everywhere. Thanks for the cool suggestions for quirks!_

 _Attackin ~ glad you liked the combat scenes!_

 _Starblitz1312 ~ Well you will enjoy this chapter! Thanks! We like the quirk ideas!_

 _Butterfly Chikage ~ Yep, wonderful angsty sibling rivalry. *turns to Loki* Akio did that right? We are glad you like the action! It's easier to have it not become the same old same old with quirks involved. Nice quirk ideas!_

 _Peter Picked A Pickled Pepper ~ Glad you like Kito!_

* * *

"Huh."

Yajima didn't let her cold approach discourage him. So she was playing hard to get, he could respect that. She would probably swoon to her friends that he had flirted so marvelously with her during the rigorous training. He adjusted his mouth and nose piece, glancing down.

"Here we go, good luck Icee," Yajima waved.

The hostages were on the roof, where Raiji seemed to be staying. Yukiko hadn't even had to bother asking for the information, Rushaindo sharing whatever popped into his mind. She wondered if he wanted to be a hero just to get the ladies. Walking away from him she headed to the stairs. Raiji was probably depending on the moisture in the air to create her charges. Crook was depending on the dark of the building to enhance the effectiveness of his quirk. But Raiji wasn't dumb. She had the Hostages with her. If she wanted to use her quirk she would be hurting the Hostages as well. Also Rushaindo couldn't get anywhere with Crook.

Which was why they were changing places. This would throw off Raiji's planning and Yukiko could trap Crook in his quirk state.

Rushaindo would be fine...right?

Hikari didn't have to see her partner to know he was there, blending into the shadows around them as he waited for something to happen. He was a strange one, with darting eyes and the questionable murmurs under his breath at odd times, but he was effective and as that was what Hikari needed him to be so it was all that mattered.

Frowning, she shifted slightly, on the ready as she waited for something to happen. It was odd that the hero duo hadn't attacked yet; what were they doing? There were two, perhaps three, possible plans they might be favoring but because she didn't know either Rushaindo or Ikeda well, she wasn't how to narrow it down to any fewer choices. She really didn't care for the not knowing part of this task; the lack of facts and understanding was very troubling. She frowned, looking around again.

* * *

This would be interesting.

Daisuki Kito leaned back in his chair, feet propped up on the desk. He had noticed several students making mental notes. Not that he blamed them. He might pit them against each other just for fun one day. However, back to these two. While Rushaindo could be formidable, he was nothing compared to what Yukiko could do for the Hero side. While there was Raiji on the Villain side, who if he was a betting man he would place his money on. She was smart, cute, and everything people enjoyed when supporting a villain. Rusaindo and Crook had a lot of working to do to catch up with these girls.

* * *

"...let me take you on a date if I win?"

Yajima stood relaxed on the roof, examining the Hostages who seemed to be enjoying this. Well some of them were. He held an arrow loosely on the string, glad to see Crook had already left. He didn't want to face both Villains at the same time.

Hikari stared at him, her expression completely unimpressed. "No," she said flatly. Despite what it seemed, her focus wasn't entirely on him.

"Alright, I"ll let you take me on a date _if_ you win," Yajima shot her his most winning smile that made the ladies knees go weak.

She felt her patience began to quickly fade. He was an idiot, she was certain of it. "Where's your partner?" she asked instead of dignifying his stupid question with any sort of response.

"Um, with yours," Yajima shrugged. "Well I'd love to get to know you better but I've got some Hostages to rescue, so if you don't mind handing them over…"

Hikari narrowed her eyes, just slightly. "No, I don't think I will," she said, finding this conversation pointless. Was he simply trying to talk her to death?

"Right…" Yajima sighed, pulling up his bow. "May I have this dance?" he smiled, shooting an arrow

Hikari dodged instantly, knowing she had to make sure that very action she took could be counted. A minute had to pass between each charge, so she had to be careful.

The grappling arrow stuck on a satellite that he supposed provided the relay to the cameras back in the other building. Yajima took a running leap, using it to swing him around behind her.

Hikari dodged again, working her way towards the wall. She hadn't been expecting the grappling arrow; she was more impressed with the idea and design behind it then she would ever tell him.

Now he was between her and the Hostages. Yajima turned towards them, "Are you alright?"

"Really good, especially since you are here!" Genjiro cheered.

Hikari narrowed her eyes, but didn't say anything. She simply moved as quietly as she could while he was distracted. He should have never taken his eyes off her. Didn't he know better?

Yajima smiled amused. She thought he couldn't see her just because his back was turned. Well there weren't many opportunities like this, and he was going to use this one.

She knew he was aware of her, knew by the sudden, slight tension in his stance, but Hikari wasn't worried. She had the upper hand, rather he was aware of this too or not.

"Don't worry, I'll get you out of here," Yajima promised, noticing that they had capture tape keeping them on the roof.

Kaori's expression perfectly relayed how unimpressed she was by this whole experience, though she had to admit Raiji and Crook's plan was rather impressive, though she had managed to find at least one flaw in it. She would see how well they handled it.

Yajima kept his arrow low, against his leg so she couldn't see it. He could see her every movement, no surprises.

Hikari made sure she was purposefully loud with every step she took, though she did her best to keep up the appearance she wasn't. She didn't see her partner to know he was here, somewhere.

"I bet you are just dying to go on a night on the town," Yajima chatted, pulling the arrow back slightly as she edged closer. "I heard that in a movie once, means going out having dinner stopping by a few parties. Sound good to you?"

Wondering if he ever stopped talking, and quickly deciding he didn't, Hikari kept going. How long did he plan to draw this out? She was almost standing right behind him now.

"I was thinking one of those nice new restaurants that they opened a few streets away," Yajima talked as he edged away from the Hostages.

Now they were getting somewhere. Hikari followed, making everything as casual as possible yet at the same time, not. She made sure there was a certain amount of inches between them at all times. It simply wouldn't do for her to get too close.

"This friend of mine is throwing a party this weekend, we should go, I always have the option for a plus one," Yajima chatted lightly.

Hikari, growing impatient, waited, ready for whenever he decided he was done. He wasn't as clever as he believed he was.

"Then we could stop at one of those new frozen yogurt shops," Yajima kept going, not about to let her hit some part of the building, gaining points.

Deciding she was done waiting, Hikari made sure her toes found something, letting it crunch under her weight.

Yajima ignored her, knowing she couldn't shoot yet. "Or do you prefer Manju?"

Hikari forced back her impatience, knowing it wouldn't let her think clearly and if she wanted to win this, which she did, she needed her mind to be as sharp as it always was.

"I'm good with either, which sounds best to you? Or you know we could go to both places," Yajima said, arm bent to his chest.

Hikari's gaze followed his arm, knew that he had to be holding the bow though she wasn't able to see it.

"Think that's romantic?" Yajima asked, keeping a careful eye on the charge building up.

"You know," Hikari said flatly. "You're not nearly as romantic as you wish to think."

"She speaks!" Yajima gasped lightly. "I am honored by the sentence you just graced me with. Your words are like honey!"

Hikari rolled her eyes. "Are we doing this, Rushaindo?" She couldn't take much more of his senseless chatter.

"Well I need to rescue the Hostages, I'm so glad you reminded me," Yajima said.

"That's what I'm here for," Hikari said dryly, thinking he was perhaps a bigger idiot than she thought before.

"You must be my soul mate," Yajima would have clapped his hands had he not an armed arrow in his hands. "Always thinking ahead. I love you already."

Hikari arched an eyebrow. She really didn't understand him and for once, she was alright with not knowing. She was certain he would drive her crazy if she did.

"Night night, Raiji," Yajima spun, releasing the armed arrow and catching the end. He already had his mask up as the sleeping gas poured out into the air.

"Crook, go," Hikari shouted, before pressing a hand over her nose and mouth. This, she hadn't considered, but she would effectively adapt to the situation. As soon as she spoke, Liam shifted from the shadows and in a flurry of black had his baton pressed against Rushaindo's chest, pinning him quickly but firmly. His eyes were wild, yet in an interesting contradiction, his expression was eerily calm.

Hikari didn't say anything as she called up a charge, the biggest she could, then slammed it into Rushaindo.

The temperature suddenly dropped, just as the charge released,Yukiko having dragged herself up the stairs after a royal beating from Crook. She was afraid of hurting others, but she couldn't let her partner be hit by that charge. It weakened it, but Rushaindo was still knocked unconscious, as if hit by a powerful taser. Having already exhausted herself and her quirk she collapsed, unable to move another inch.

"Villains won, again," Kito's voice dragged through the speaker. "Six minutes to spare."

* * *

"Villains winning twice in a row. They best come to my office after this, wouldn't want any of our kids thinking like villains. I can't believe you used this scenario, Kito."

Kito looked up as the young man, dressed in a doctor's uniform, walked up to his chair. He scowled, staring at the monitors instead of the green-haired shrink. He could hear the students whispering behind him.

"You're late," he responded after a moment.

"Sorry about that," the young man laughed a little, pulling out a notebook. "Who's your next team?"

"Tsukinose and Yun versus Katou and Nakamaru," Kito responded.

"You wouldn't be placing your strongest as Villains, now would you?" the young man looked over at Kito. "Nakamaru is a recommended student. Now that I'm thinking about it, the elder Saito received more points during the exam than his brother and Raiji has quite the IQ."

"I didn't do anything, but I have my suspicions that someone had their hand in the box," Kito glanced up.

The young man smiled, ponytail waving as he shook his head. "Don't look all suspicious Kito, it ruins your Hero profile. I have nothing to do with it. Its all by chance, isn't it? A bit hard to rig papers in a box."

"Didn't say it was you," Kito grumbled, telling the next set of students to prepare.

"I do say," the young man tapped his chin with his pen. "It is certainly a lesson to the ones playing Heroes. Always be prepared in case the Villain is stronger, have several backup plans, know when to engage and when not to. Though I could see the winners...exalting in their victory. What are you going to do about that?"

"You'll see, Mura," Kito sighed as he pushed the button to begin. "Try to be patient."

* * *

"I hope you are all alright with this," Genjiro said softly, concern in his eyes. "I know we are supposed to be the Villains but using a Quirk on Hostages seems a bit out of the ordinary for an exercise."

"I'll give it all back, I don't want it," Rin promised. "You'll be totally energized to start your own test."

"What are you going to do to us exactly?" Hanami asked suspiciously, glancing at Sutoi who just shrugged helplessly at her.

"I'm going to knock you out," Rin looked guilty already. "Don't worry, putting a person in nap zone is really easy for me. Plus, I can control my quirk better with humans, you are a bit easier to understand than Japanese Yew bushes when you aren't paying attention. I work at a hospital sometimes so there's no need to worry." He pulled out his identification badge. "See?"

Fuyuki shrugged, "I'm alright with it. Though I guess since you are the bad guys we should be fighting against you, right? It is a Villain thing to do, you probably shouldn't have asked, you'll lose points."

"Yeah, I guess so," Rin winced a little, nodding his agreement.

Sutoi eyed the badge for a moment then shrugged to. "Alright," he consented. He felt a bit better about the whole thing now with that explanation.

"I swear I'll give it all back," Rin said firmly. "And I'll owe you one."

"Villains owing Civilians," Hinata laughed. "That's great, but sure...I think I can trust a hospital badge."

"Thanks," Rin beamed. "The Pro Hero First Aid helped me get it."

Sutoi looked instantly impressed. "She's really awesome," he said, admiration in his voice. He had run into her once or twice, and she had always been friendly.

"Yeah, she really is," Rin smiled. He glanced back over at Kinoshita. "Are you alright with this? I don't mind leaving you with capture tape."

Hanami sighed. "It's fine," she decided, very aware that if that stupid Rokuro Saito heard about this, he would never not bring it up. He was so annoying.

"Alright," Rin nodded, glancing at Katou. "Uh, I'll let Daitenshi go first? So you guys get a clue. Then I'll take you to your areas."

Sutoi tried not to be nervous, but he couldn't help but be a little. He wasn't exactly sure what was going to happen. "I'm ready." Would it hurt? He couldn't help but wonder.

Rin held up his right arm, pulling away a little. Pale silver light swirled down his arm and wrapped around Daitenshi. The light seemed to grow stronger as it circled back up into Rin. One second, two, three. Rin stopped as Daitenshi closed his eyes, Katou catching him, easing him to the ground.

"This way," Genjiro jumped to his feet.

Hanami stared at him for a moment, then stood too. It wasn't all like she had been expecting, but that was alright. It looked a whole lot less painful than what she had come up with.

Genjiro led them to another secluded area, mostly closed off by walls. After learning they were to be a team, he and Nakamaru had watched the surveillance videos closely, searching for optimal places. He had watched Tsukinose at the Quirk Test and it would be pretty bad for them if she swapped with the Hostages and let Yun get them to safety.

"Good luck out there," Hanami said, wondering which team would win. She knew Tsukinose was very powerful, but she had no idea about Yun. But she did about Katou and Nakamaru so it was going to be interesting; she was disappointed she would miss witnessing it, but she was sure she would be able to get someone to fill her in.

"You aren't supposed to say that to Villains," Genjiro laughed nervously.

Hanami smirked. "Do you see any heroes around here?

"I hope not," Genjiro looked around, as if he expected them to pop up at any moment.

"Who's next?" Rin asked.

Glancing at the others, Hanami nodded to herself, then said, "I'll do it."

Rin nodded repeating the process. Fuyuki and Hinata were left in two different places, all secluded and hard to see. They had decided on infiltrating the air ducts. Katou had come up with this, noting that Tsukinose couldn't see them. Rin decided on taking on Anamiya, both agreeing due to the destructive nature of his quirk he needed to go to sleep as soon as possible. Else he might create objects for Tsukinose to swap with. However, if he stuck with Tsukinose, Rin would instantly retreat into the air ducts for plan B, which involved a combined surprise attack.

"Its weird, playing Villains and all," Genjiro said. "You see a whole new side. I guess it really helps to understand your opponent so you can counter their attacks."

"Yeah, that makes sense," Rin nodded, feeling uncomfortable with his role. "Ready?" he glanced at Katou, trying to shake the uneasiness.

"Ready." Genjiro nodded.

* * *

Kaori wasn't terribly impressed with her partner. He wouldn't hold any sort of eye contact with her and his expression always had a distantly uncomfortable edge to it. She also quickly picked up that he had a tendency to be lost in his head. She could only guess what the issue was, but whatever it might be, it made him a challenge to work with.

Halfway through her explanation of the plan she had come up with, she realized she had no idea if he was understanding anything she had mentioned; he refused to even look at her, much less say anything. She sighed deeply, then waved a hand. "Never mind." she dismissed then turned. "Just follow my lead and we might actually win this thing."

Anamiya's eyes flickered slightly, then he fell into step behind her. He didn't want to do this; Rin was the only friend he had here and he knew just how destructive his Quirk could be, especially considering how little control he had over it. He sighed softly, hoping that Rin would be able to take care of him; he thought he could, but the guilt of what he might accidentally weighed heavily upon his shoulders.

They stayed together. Rin hurried over to their spot, crawling into the floor vent. He had left his lab coat behind as a pillow for one of the Hostages, feeling this alievated his guilt somewhat. Just putting someone to sleep gave him extraordinary amounts of energy and he focused on staying still.

"They are together," he whispered to Katou through the pipe. "It's time for Plan B.

"Alright," Genjiro nodded. "I'm going, be ready."

"Will do," Rin promised.

"Good luck," Genjiro grinned, before dropping out of the air duct onto the ground.

* * *

Anamiya only had a somewhat idea of what was going on, but Kaori's confidence in herself, in whatever plan she had come up with, was very apparent. He supposed that was good; at least one of them was. He exhaled softly again, trying to keep an eye on their surroundings. He didn't know what they were about to walk into.

He found out not a minute later when Kaori stopped suddenly. He didn't understand why she had, until she spoke, voice quiet. "Katou." Force absorption, Anamiya's mind supplied, "has found us." His gaze went in the direction Kaori's was and it took him a moment to see the other boy, standing in the stairwell.

Genjiro rolled up his sleeves, sweat sticking his blond curls to his head. His red eyes flashed as he straightened. "Fight me," he grinned.

* * *

 **And now we interrupt your current program for a Christmas Special**

* * *

 _Nine Years Ago..._

 _On Christmas Day_

"Akio's here! Akio's here! Mom, Dad!"

Keoko ran in circles around the house searching for her parents. She found them at opposite ends of the house, her mother still getting ready.

"They're here," her mother gasped.

She straightened one last thing before rushing to the door, nearly colliding with Keoko's father. He smiled, sliding past his wife and daughter an opening the door.

"Welcome to our home," he said, swinging the door open.

"Thank you so much for inviting us."

Akio watched his father, eyes wide, as he clutched the hand of his younger sister, Eimi. At four years old, she did enough talking for them oth, which he was fine with.

"Akio!" Keoko popped through her parents' legs.

Akio had a moment of wondering if he could use Eimi a shield but quickly vetoed the idea, as he was quite a bit taller than she was, despite their two years of age difference. "Keoko," he muttered.

"Come look at our Christmas Bonsai, Akio," Keoko held out her hand.

Akio hesitated then, after a moment, accepted her hand with his free one. Eimi had to go with them; his mom had asked him to watch over her, and he took his big brother duties very seriously.

Keoko grabbed his hand, pulling the three of them into the house. "My aunt in America sent me this," she went over to a bag near the bonsai, pulling out a huge blue scarf. "Mom says I'll grow into it."

While Eimi gasped, Akio stared at it, not entirely sure he had ever seen a scarf as big as that. It was huge.

Keoko wrapped it around her neck, most of it dragging on the floor. Searching for an end, she picked it up, tickling Akio's nose.

Akio made a face, nose instantly wrinkling. That was unpleasant.

"That's so pretty," Eimi breathed, reaching out with little hands and feeling the scarf with eager fingers.

"It's really soft," Keoko held out the scarf for her to feel.

Eimi ran her hands repeatedly over the material. "It is," she gasped, awe clear.

"You want to feel, Akio?" Keoko looked up, widening her eyes at him.

Akio's nose twitched again, then he sneezed. After a moment, when he was certain he wouldn't sneeze again, he gave in and reached for it. Keoko really did love to talk; even more than Eimi.

"Isn't it soft, Akio?" Keoko bounced excitedly. "Isn't it?"

"Yeah," Akio admitted. It was much nicer than he had ever felt before.

"So I'll tell you what I got you, and you can tell me what you got me," Keoko beamed up at him.

Akio jerked away from the scarf, as if he was burned, and eye her suspiciously. "No," he said firmly. He should have known she would try something like this. He sister kept petting the scarf, more interested in that then her brother and Keoko.

"Come on," Keoko whined, gesturing to the little bag by the Bonsai. "Pleasseeeeee."

"You'll find out soon," Akio said firmly. He was curious, sure, but not curious enough to ruin the surprise.

"Mom says we do gifts after dinner and I can't wait that longgg," Keoko waved her scarf.

Akio eyed it for a moment. "You have too."

"I can't," Keoko said seriously.

Akio just stared at her. She was so stubborn but he was just as much. He wouldn't tell.

Keoko pouted, sticking out her lower lip as much as possible. "Pleassseeee…"

Akio shook his head, making sure he pointedly pressed his lips together in a tight line. He wouldn't break.

"No fair," Keoko whined, putting her scarf down.

"It's a surprise," Akio said firmly.

"Aah," Keoko fell backwards dramatically.

Akio stared at her, unimpressed, then looked at his sister, who was still petting the scarf.

"Let's go play," Keoko looked up.

Relaxing, figuring she had dropped her interrogation, Akio nodded. "Alright," he agreed.

"This way!" Keoko ran off towards her room.

Taking his sister's hand, Akio followed his friend; no, friend wasn't right. She was his best friend, though he had no idea how that happened exactly.

The scarf, forgotten on the ground, raised up into the air, following after Akio.

"Where are we going?" Eimi cried, pulling her brother along the hallway as she charged down it.

It slithered along the floor, following Akio down the hall as Keoko led them to her room where her toy animals were kept.

Akio was too distracted by his sister's determined tugging of his arm to notice anything else, then by the loudest squeal he had ever heard when she saw all of Keoko's toy animals.

"Let's play," Keoko grinned.

The scarf curled up behind Akio, leaning over his shoulder.

Eimi nodded, throwing herself onto the floor. "Come on, Akio," she urged, examining each toy with great interest. They were having more fun than their older siblings, she would bet.

It leaned over, fuzz tickling Akio's cheek.

Startled, Akio stumbled back, reaching and brushing at his face. What was it?

The scarf jerked back, moving to his other side. The girls played, oblivious to what was going on.

Akio turned quickly, trying to figure out what he had felt. He didn't see anything but that didn't mean something wasn't there. Was it one of his older siblings?

The scarf leaned closer, tickling his nose.

Akio instantly sneezed at the contact, his nose twitching.

"Akio, what are you doing?" Keoko said, picking up a tiger. "Come play."

Ignoring her for a moment, Akio looked around again. There was something here, and he had to know what it was.

The scarf sat innocently in the floor, as if nothing had happened.

"How did you get in here?" Akio muttered. Hadn't his sister left it in the living room?

"Akio," Keoko threw a horse at him.

Akio, attention diverted, fumbled and caught the horse. Deciding to shrug off the whole scarf thing, he went towards her and his baby sister.

The scarf swirled up into the air again, crawling up his back to look over his shoulder.

Akio froz, feeling as if there was something on his back, clinging to him, but he couldn't see anything once he looked over his shoulder.

It slithered up his back, sitting partially on his head. It looked around, before settling down, as if searching for something.

Eimi glanced up, then burst into giggles. Her brother's look of pure confusion made her even more amused.

"What are you doing, Akio?" Keoko asked.

"What is this?" Akio's voice came out a little higher than usual.

"Why are you wearing my scarf as a hat?" Keoko reached over, pulling her scarf off. "That's silly. Did it keep your head warm?"

"I didn't put it on," Akio protested, more than happy with her taking it. "It's not normal."

"I know, it's really soft," Keoko hugged the scarf, putting it on the floor behind her. She resumed her playing with Eimi, showing her her play lizard.

As soon as Keoko turned away, the scarf rose up, as if staring at Akio, intently watching his every move.

Akios stared back with a dark frown. He had no idea what it was, because it wasn't just a scarf, but he really did hate that thing.

Its top rolled down, as if staring darkly back at Akio. Fuzz rolled out from the sides looking strangely like eyebrows.

Akio's frown deepened. He didn't understand what this thing was, or why it was acting like this. His sister and Keoko would think him crazy.

"My nose tickles," Keoko looked up squinching her face up. Blood ran down from her nose, in a small stream.

Akio looked over at her, wrenching his gaze from the stupid scarf, then his eyes instantly widened. "Your nose is bleeding."

Keoko put her hand to her nose, pulling back she started crying. The scarf flopped to the floor as the mothers came running in to see what the problem was. The bleeding was stopped just before dinner. This passed nicely, the families enjoying the American holiday together. Keoko bounced the entire meal, her horrible nosebleed forgotten at the prospect of presents soon.

The scarf curled around Akio's feet, underneath the table, wrapping up his legs.

Relieved that Keoko was no longer gushing blood from her nose, Akio was able to forget all about the incident. Until he felt the scarf curl all around his legs. He tried not to react but found he couldn't focus on anything but that. It was stalking him, he was sure of it.

"Akio, what's wrong?" His mother noticed the odd look on her son's face.

"Nothing," Akio said quickly.

She eyed him suspiciously, but didn't say anything. The scarf stayed that way for some time, inching up Akio's legs.

It was taking everything Akio had not to squirm as the scarf crept higher, and he did his best to ignore the amused look of his oldest sister, Youta.

Keoko's nose began bleeding again and chaos erupted at the table. Once everything had calmed down Keoko was placed on the couch with a blanket and a few wet cloths in case her nose started again.

"It must be the weather," her mother pondered.

"Hm, perhaps so," Akio's mother agreed.

"I'll make you a cup of hot tea," Keoko's mother pulled the blanket over her daughter snuggly.

"Then presents?" Keoko asked, spirit again rising since her nose had quit bleeding. "I want to know what Akio got me."

Glad to be freed of the horrible, possessed, crazy, whatever the thing was, Akio was far too pleased than he probably should be. She would never guess what he had brought her.

"Yes," her mother replied reluctantly, hoping to send Keoko to bed right after the gift exchange between the children.

"I wonder what you got me," Keoko narrowed her eyes.

The scarf rose up from the ground, seeming to narrow woven holes at Akio as it stood beside him.

Akio stared at the scarf, torn between annoyance and anger. He thought it had left him alone. Why was it not bothering anyone else?

This time everyone saw it. That moment both her parents rushed Keoko, exclaiming that her quirk had shown up. The scarf was returned to Keoko and the gifts promptly exchanged. After that the scarf didn't bother Akio, and the nosebleeds ceased.

"It makes sense," Keoko's mother said after a moment. "Sora can manipulate air currents and I can pull and push objects that weigh less than I do. Keoko can make things move, just like me."

Keoko snuck behind Akio, holding her scarf up and tickling the back of his neck, mischief shining in her eyes.

While he was happy that she had gotten her Quirk, Akio despised that scarf, especially when she kept trying to tickle him with it. However, he had a feeling that he wouldn't ever be able to escape its torment so he just sighed, pushed away his annoyance, and let her do whatever she wished.

Keoko burst into a fit of laughter.

* * *

 **Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Fun fact 1: I (alumni) enjoy making fun of my own decisions. Examples: Kito remarking about the three Saitos and how it must be rigged and then this chapter Mura, mysterious young man talking with Kito, remarking on how Villains have won twice.**

 **Fun fact 2: Mura means 'village' and spoiler (you guys probably caught this) he's a therapist. There's some saying or quote that goes "It takes a village to raise a child" so hence his name. *cue Alumni laughing at her own little joke while Loki shakes her head***

 **Just a fact: If Keoko overuses her quirk her nose bleeds (embarrassing!) so it isn't anything pervy.**

 **Now you know why Akio dislikes the scarf! Poor traumatized boy! *Imagine Chibi Akio running from Chibi scarf* WHO WOULD WIN? Giant, water manipulation aspiring hero boy or a homemade scarf?**


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: Just for clarification, when Kito said that Hikari Raiji was "cute" he meant it in terms of how a grown person might call a toddler cute. Nothing more is meant by the usage of that word. We noticed some seemed confused about this and just wanted to clear things up. Thank you! Enjoy the very long chapter!**

* * *

 _Reviews with Alumni and Loki:_

 _gold crown dragon ~ Yep, the damage is real_

 _Butterfly Chikage ~ Think of Yajima's quirk as creating a grey mass. He can make out facial details as in like the ridge for the nose and cheekbones. Like a gray model or a doll. He can see these rise and fall. Does that make sense? Hehe sure on that Naruto kick! Lol! Glad you liked the chapter and the Christmas Special!_

 _Supreme Kai of Booty ~ Oh dear we hope you are better! It is a nice nap...think deep sleep. Very well rested. Oh well, its just the effects of her quirk *shrugs*_

 _LifeisBeautiful17 ~ I'm so glad its your favorite! we do like the fact that he is blind and a flirt. We are glad you like Genjiro!_

 _StarBlitz1312 ~ Laughs evilly cliffhangers! We are glad you like Hikari!_

 _JustNonsensical ~ Thanks for the encouragement! We are glad its an easy read!_

 _GuestP ~ Hmmmmmmmm...definitely some interesting thoughts!_

* * *

 _Fight me._

"You heroes can't win, you should go back home to your mommies," Genjiro pointed down at them, his evil laugh sounding more like a pretentious cough. "Because they are probably lonely and will fix you snacks...because...er...you are tiny!"

"Maybe skip the monologue," Nakamaru's voice buzzed over the earbud speaker. "See if you can split them up."

"Right." Genjiro touched his ear, one leg bouncing constantly. It was strange being almost six stories above the other students, they looked rather small. He couldn't tell if he was succeeding in luring Tsukinose up.

Her mind racing with several possibilities and many different options, Kaori could not she was terribly impressed, and she made certain that her expression revealed that. She knew what he was trying to do, the reports said that Nakamaru was rather creative, and that was his mistake. She glanced subtly at Yun, whose black hair was covering his face, then turned back to Katou, her eyebrow pointedly raised as she looked up at him.

"Well, who is going to fight me?" Genjiro narrowed his eyes, trying to see the expressions on their faces.

"You really do enjoy listening to yourself talk, don't you?" Kaori asked coolly after a deliberately long moment.

"Haha," Genjiro laughed. "Yes I do."

Kaori shifted her weight, just slightly. "Where's Nakamaru?"

"Um, probably guarding the Hostages," Genjiro leaned over the railing.

Nodding stiffly, Kaori didn't make any other movements. She had figured that was it.

"So are we just going to talk? I don't think we have much time and if you don't get the Hostages, we get more points," Genjiro pointed out. "So does one of you want to come fight? I think I remember your quirks but it's hard to memorize twenty quirks in a school day."

Kaori stared at him for a moment longer, her expression now carefully blank, then what might have been a smile crossed over her lips, though it was also a borderline grimace. "Force absorption, isn't it Katou?" she asked, blinking up at him.

"Yeah!" Genjiro nodded eagerly. "Wow you are pretty amazing. I guess I'm at a disadvantage. You know Nakamaru's quirk too?"

Kaori didn't bother to reply; she really had no interest in what she deemed to be pointless conversations and this was one in her opinion. She was biding her time, rather he was aware of it or not.

"Hi, Yun is it?" Genjiro waved. "Wanna fight since Tsukinose won't?"

Anamiya looked up sharply at the question directed at him, eyes widening slightly. He tried to ignore the feeling of deep apprehension that had settled into his chest. It was fine, everything would be alright...but what if he hurt someone again? He would never forgive himself for repeating the mistakes of his past. He swallowed hard. At least it wasn't Rin. He knew he wouldn't be able to do this against the only real friend he had here.

Kaori gave the softest exhales, then in a matter of seconds, she had switched herself for Katou. She knew that he had been expecting that but she hoped that it still came as a surprise, even a small one would be in their favor. She wasn't expecting great things from Yun after what she had learned but having him go against the other boy was the only option that would get them the most points. She didn't bother to look over her shoulder as she went up the stairs, knowing that as long as Yun could keep it together, they would be able to waste some time.

Genjiro sucked in a breath as he found himself ground level. Choking he tripped over his own feet, face planting onto the floor. He pushed himself up, looking at Yun sheepishly. "Well that was interesting," he said.

Anamiya stared at him, face rapidly paling as he realized how close Katou was to him now and he would be expected to do something. His stomach tight with nerves, he took a step away.

"So, uh," Genjiro pushed himself to his feet. "Wanna do this, Yun?"

Anamiya fought the urge to flinch as he looked back down at his feet. He really didn't, but he knew that wouldn't be the right answer.

"Do you get hurt because you have to hold your quirk back?" Genjiro asked. "Because you can go all out on me. I take hits and send them back."

But Anamiya didn't want to do that, not again. He couldn't trust himself, not in the midst of that rage, that power. He swallowed ard, fighting the urge to be sick. He had to figure out what to do; he didn't want to let Tsukinose down.

Genjiro settled into a stance. "Nice of you to let me get up. I suppose it's a very Hero thing to do. I bet Mr. Kito will give you points for that."

Anamiya's eyes flickered as he took another step back. Tsukinose had told him to waste as much time as he could. That would be simple enough, right? He bit his lower lip, wishing he knew how he was supposed to do that. He couldn't use his Quirk, it was too dangerous and he simply didn't have enough control over it to trust himself.

"I get the first punch? Okay," Genjiro suddenly switched to offensive, hitting Yun in the shoulder with a kick.

Anamiya stumbled backwards, this time as he was caught off guard. It was merely a bruise; he had given himself much worse.

Genjiro bounced back, regaining his balance as he watched Yun carefully. He could still hear Rin's reluctant voice saying they would have to have Yun activate his quirk and destroy as much of the building as possible to wear down the Hero points.

Anamiya knew what he was trying to do, it wasn't hard to figure it out, but he knew that he couldn't let it happen. He wouldn't hurt someone, not again- he shuddered at the thought even as he moved out of the way again.

Genjiro threw several more punches, hoping to drive him to use his quirk. He didn't like it, but he hoped Yun would go all out. He didn't want Yun hurting himself just for a simulation fight.

Unease was now rapidly surging throughout Anamiya, as his mind traitorously worked to bring back memories of a time that he had desperately did everything he could to forget. He couldn't do this, not now. It was years ago, years and he didn't know why he couldn't let that day go, but it always lingered, haunting him every minute of the day. Despite how much he struggled, how much he fought against it, he wasn't able to keep past and present separate and when they blurred, it wasn't Genjiro he was fighting against but Souta...Souta who wouldn't leave him alone, no matter how many times he begged, he pleaded-

Genjiro threw a hard punch, his fist contacting with Yun's jaw. Hopefully that would be enough.

Pain blossomed in his jaw, quickly going throughout his face, and no, no, no, he wouldn't let Souta hurt him again. In that moment, in that decision, Anamiya's careful control...snapped.

Genjiro fell back, seeing a new look in Yun's eyes. His own quirk seemed to tingle as he prepared himself for the fight.

Anger, no, fury, quickly became everything Anamiya knew and with teeth pulled back in a menacing snarl, he threw himself at Katou; his eyes were wild with rage. He was tired of being hurt and that desire was all he was truly aware of.

Genjiro felt the excitement of their plan falling together collapse under him. He decided he liked Nakamaru's plan to run, letting Yun cause as much damage as possible. He didn't know if he could absorb so much at once.

"Souta," Anamiya growled, throwing punch after punch. Fury still burned through him, growing hotter by the moment as the desire to do as much damage as possible grew too.

"Actually it's Katou," Genjiro ducked, absorbing the energy from the blows that hit.

Anamiya hit him again and again, no pattern to his attack; behind each blow was nothing but anger that seemed to be growing by the moment within him. Souta wouldn't hurt him, not again; no one would.

Genjiro lured him closer to the wall, dodging a blow, letting Yun smash into the concrete. He hadn't expected Yun to be so fast, it was hard to avoid the blows. He would have to retaliate soon, or the pent up energy would damage him.

Anamiya spun away from the wall, every one of his blows non-stop. He didn't care what kind of damage he might be causing, intent on the desperate desire to protect himself. WHy couldn't he just leave him alone?

Genjiro found an opening, dodging to the side and sending a punch aimed at Yun's side. He released his energy, blowing several feet between them.

Anamiya spat on the ground, then a slow smile crept over his features as he looked at the other boy. Only a second passed before he was going a him again, a blur of flying fists and that fury of before.

Genjiro blocked over and over again, his skin soaking up the energy from the blows like a sponge. He would release energy at frequent intervals, allowing him to gasp in several breaths before Yun was after him again.

His opponent's attacks did nothing to Anamiya, as he constantly switched between blocking the ones he could and taking the ones he couldn't as he kept his own attacks up. Nothing would stop him.

Genjiro stumbled as he released energy back almost with every blow. Yun was faster than he imagined. Glancing around he was relieved to find that some damage had been done. Nothing looked like it threatened the integrity of the building so it meant points gained. Dodging another blow he wondered how Nakamaru was doing. How much time did they have left?

* * *

 _"Wanna do this, Yun?"_

That meant Tsukinose was on the sixth floor. Rin pulled himself from the vent, running to the stairs. He would have to be careful and hope that Tsukinose chose the more easily accessible stairs or that she decided to search the sixth floor before coming down. It was hard to quickly maneuver in the vents. He needed to get on the same floor Tsukinose was on.

Kaori had already reasoned that he would most likely be expecting her to take the stairs that were the most accessible so she made sure she kept away from them. She was doing her best to stay one step away from him; all the research she had done on Nakamaru had given her a rather deep understanding of the way he worked but she had learned early on that sometimes, there were still surprises. With this in mind, she kept going, not bothering to linger on the sixth floor. Nakamaru being there wouldn't make any sense.

Rin froze as he heard light footsteps above him, clinging to the wall he quickly darted into the fourth floor. Making sure the door slammed he rushed to the nearest vent, pulling himself in and finding the fourth floor stratectic spot.

Kaori narrowed her eyes, listening intently for a moment. That seemed a little too purposeful. She waited another moment, searching for any other sounds, then started down the stairs, bypassing the fourth floor.

Right that had been too obvious. Rin realized this after several moments of waiting. She was using those stairs so he would take the others. It would take him precious seconds, but a mistake like that would teach him better. Would she be searching the third floor or keep going to the ground level? He had to get there before she could join against Genjiro.

When Kaori reached the second floor, she stopped and waited. She still had no idea where the hostages were, which bothered her, but she knew that it would be pointless to keep searching for them. Nakamaru had hidden them well, she would give him that.

A few moments listening proved she wasn't on level three. Rin stopped at level two, walking into the hall.

Eyebrow arched, Kaori stared at him, expression carefully cool. "Where are the hostages?"

Rin stiffened, eyes darting around the hall. Not where he wanted to be, but he could work with this. "I can't tell you that," he said after a moment. He tapped the sides of his legs with his fingers.

Of course this didn't escape Kaori's notice and she filled it away, very aware that this small action might turn out to be highly important. "I'll ask you again. Where are they?"

"Who knows?" Rin shrugged. "You don't need to know."

Kaori released a small breath, reaching up and adjusting the goggles she had resting upon her head. "I see," she said, before lapsing into silence. Even though she didn't look away from her gaze, she was taking in everything she could, such as his stance, the way he held his shoulders, which foot he kept his weight on.

If he lunged to the right down the hall to evade her, she might switch and he would find himself face-planting into the wall beside her.

Kaori waited, running over several options, for both him as well as herself, as she waited to see what he would do.

Rin quickly raised his left arm, waiting for her reaction. There was a hall behind her that he could run down as well. Besides he was wondering how this switching quirk felt.

Kaori wasn't about to fall for that. She had seen this ploy before. She refused to react until he decided to actually be serious.

"Alright," Rin shrugged, raising his right arm, silver light flashing around his arm.

Deciding this was it, Kaori stepped closer to the wall, until her back was touching it, then switched their positions, knowing he would be smack against the wall she had just left.

Rin yelped as he slammed his back into a wall. Just what he had wanted to avoid. Quickly he darted down a hall, hoping he had enough distance to get into the vents.

Kaori ran after him, keeping her speed up to match his. She wasn't about to let him lose her. She switched them out again before he was able to get far, willing to keep him distracted for as long as she had to. She was certain Yun was struggling; she was sure she had heard a crash a moment ago from below them. Well, he lasted longer than she thought he would.

Rin sped around corners before pulling himself into the vent they had left open in emergency; diving in, he pulled the lid down hard to perhaps jar it. Crawling in her pulled himself up, climbing towards the ceiling vents.

Reminded of a training session she had experienced back home, Kaori followed him quickly. She was impressed with his attempts to stall her but he had underestimated. He would learn not to do that. She followed quickly, listening carefully for the sounds he made. He was clever, but he couldn't figure out how to go about this noiseless.

Silver light pulsed down hitting her for half a second before dissipating. That was bound to drain her a little, making it harder to pursue. Rin pulled his hand back, not wanting to end up head down in the shaft. Not caring about the noise, he continued sideways, slithering as best he could in the tight shaft.

The sensation was odd, a sudden wave of tiredness, but Kaori ignored it, pushing on. She had been trained to ignore her body's basic needs, to use the feelings that came from this as motivation to continue so that's what she did. She did her best to speed up, needing him back in her view.

Rin stopped at the end of the shaft, raising his right hand so it pointed behind him. Turning his head as best he could he watched for her to appear. She couldn't switch them without letting him get behind her. It was at least a second crawl to the opening in the ceiling. It was more than that to crawl to him. No dust bunnies to switch with. They would be caught in a stalemate.

Kaori brushed a piece of hair from her face, then stared at his hand for a moment. This wasn't the best of plans, stalemates never were, but she had to admit there was some favorable parts to it. He was clever, in his own way, she would give him that. "Nakamaru," she said, voice casual. "Where are the hostages?"

"Broken record," Rin muttered. The adrenaline in him urged him to activate, but the Healer in him hesitated. Silver light pulsed down his arm, aimed at her.

"I really am sorry about this," Kaori said, though she really wasn't. In one quick movement, she had one of her knives in hand, despite how cramped the area was, and threw it straight at his hand. She didn't have the arm movement she wanted, but it still managed a hit.

Rin cried out pulling his hand down quickly, a few curses escaping his lips. Unable to move his hand close enough he grabbed the knife by the handle with his teeth. Clenching hard he pulled it out, muffling a groan. Golden light flickered over the wound, his excess energy piecing the wound together. Rin leaned his head against the cool metal clenching his hand. He didn't know she had a knife.

The reports she had read did not do justice in proper describing his Quirk and Kaori took a moment to study the way his arm and the way it now looked. He was powerful, far more than she thought even he probably was aware. Making a note of this, she looked back at him, meeting his gaze. "Try that again," she said cooly. "And I wouldn't recommend it. I think Yun will need your help once this is done."

"And everyone else," Rin muttered. Knives. He corrected himself. She had knives. Oh well. He crawled towards the ceiling opening hoping he wouldn't feel a knife in his foot or leg next. Keeping her knife, he tensed as he got nearer to the opening.

Reminding herself to make sure she got her knife back once this was done, Kaori followed, keeping her distance. She wouldn't risk getting close enough for him to use his Quirk on her, not again.

Rin dropped out of the ceiling, after sliding the plate back. There would be a moment of vulnerability when she dropped down. Or if she switched places. He held up his arm, twisting his feet just in case she switched.

Kaori didn't follow him, not instantly. He had to be expecting her to either follow or switch them. The only logical conclusion was to do neither, at least not right now. She withdraw another knife, then waited.

Rin didn't move, just waiting. This was his best vantage point and as long as she didn't start throwing knives and he tripped over his own feet trap, he would be good. She couldn't see him now unless she poked her head out.

Pressing her ear to the metal, Kaori listened closely. He was moving quietly, but she was still able to hear him. She waited another moment, trying to pinpoint his location the best she was able to, then tossed down one of her knives a little ways from her, the weapon clinking as it fell to the ground. This would give her a second's distraction and she refused to let it pass by. She jumped down as soon as the noise was made and pressed herself against the wall as soon as she could.

Rin jumped as the knife flew past him. Wait, was she going to switch and get behind him? He turned his eyes towards the knife, almost missing her jump down. Silver light pulsed and he aimed at her, uncrossing his feet.

Kaori didn't wait for him to fire, switching herself with her weapon then slamming her knee straight up and into his lower back.

Rin gasped, pain ricocheting up his spine. He stumbled forward, falling forward. He rolled instantly, having received worse blows in junior high but it still hurt like hell.

Knowing better than letting him recover, Kaori went after him again, wrenching one of his arms behind his back. He was much taller than she was, so she had to be creative.

She had his right hand. Twisting he grabbed her wrist firmly, intending to drain her. He stopped, remembering contact enhanced his quirk. He held her wrist, unsure of his next move. A two second pulse could knock her out or drain more than he intended.

Kaori waited, knowing that they were once again at a stalemate now that he had blocked her view of the knife. Not the best move this time either, but it would turn out to her advantage this time.

Rin narrowed his eyes, he could control his quirk and he wasn't what his father said he was. Silver light pulsed down his arm towards his hand.

By the time he had figured out his course of action, Kaori had one in place, and two for backup. It would be a test of her strength but it was doable, she thought. She switched their positions, then repeated the action again and again, repeating it as much as she could.

Rin blinked dizzily, unable to advance his quirk due to the constant shifting. Suddenly everything stopped and the silver light around his elbow flickered, going out as if it was a flickering flame blown out by the wind.

"That's enough," Kito stood in front of them. "Battle's over."

Kaori stood, then brushed off her shirt. She offered a hand to Nakamaru. He had proven to a challenging match, which she had had taken some enjoyment from.

Rin took it, offering her a grin as he stood up, still dizzy from the constant changing. "That was fun," he smiled. "I hope I didn't hurt you too much."

"You need to get down to ground level," Kito said. "Recovery Girl is on her way, but some preliminary help from you would aid Katou and Yun."

Kaoti raised an eyebrow, wondering if he was serious, but didn't say anything. She nodded, going over and collecting her fallen knife. She wondered how Yun had fared.

Rin looked worried as he bolted for the stairs, Kito behind him.

* * *

"Just stay still," Mura ordered. "Both of you."

Anamiya had never been in as much pain as he was now. He had no idea how long he has used his Quirk before Kito had stepped in, but by the way his body felt, the way that he wasn't able to feel his hands, he knew it had gone on for longer than it should have. But the pai didn't matter, not really, not when it compared to what he had done to Katou. How could he have done this? It had been just like it was with another boy, but this time it was different… damn it all. He would never forgive himself for this. He choked on a breath, pressing his face against his knees. He was shaking violently, panic and fear increasing by the moment and he was finding it near impossible to ignore the urge to be sick.

Genjiro forced a smile to his face, resisting the urge to sit up and hold his leg. It had been a stupid move on his part, and his body hadn't been able to absorb any more energy. The bone had snapped cleanly, but he hoped he didn't have to wait very long for it to heal. He heard that Recovery Girl was being called.

"It's a good thing Kito got here in time," Mura shook his head. "Recovery Girl is on her way. Just hold on. Breathing is key here, even if it hurts."

Every time he breathed, his throat constricted, and Anamiya wasn't sure if it was due to the pain of whatever injury his Quirk had done or the panic that was clawing at his chest. What had he done, what had he done?

"Yun! Katou!" Rin ran down the stairs. "What happened?" He skidded to a stop beside them, staring wide eyed at the rubble, then at his injured teammate and friend. "Hold on, I'll fix things."

"Don't forget you have to return all that energy to everyone," Genjiro smiled weakly. "I can wait for Recovery Girl, she should be here soon."

Rin. Rin was here. That meant he and Kaori were finished; she would be disappointed in him, Anamiya knew and because he didn't know her well, it shouldn't matter if she was or not, yet it did, no matter how much he tried to convince himself of it. He let everyone down, he always did. His stomach rolled again and he clenched his teeth together, hard, but knew the pain in his mouth and jaw wasn't anything close to the rest of his body.

"I'm going to do Yun first," Rin said, biting his lower lip. "He's in pretty bad shape. There must be internal damage because he's got blood in his mouth."

Anamiya was only somewhat aware of what was being discussed around him. Blood...that seemed reasonable. He had thought that taste in the back of his mouth was bile, but he was beginning to realize he was wrong. He had been so stupid.

Rin sat down, placing his left hand on Yun. "This won't take long." Golden light swirled down his arm, pulsing as energy rushed down.

"Don't touch me," Anamiya rasped, jerking away. Every inch of his skin felt like it was on fire and the thought of anything against it, rather it was for his own good or not, was unimaginable. He promptly doubled over, retching so hard he felt that he couldn't breath.

Rin reached down, placing a firm grasp on his arm. Light pulsed as the healing process began. He had lots of energy, but he had to pass it on to the others as well so he couldn't use it all up.

Anamiya almost pulled away again, but something stopped him. Maybe he was tired, or maybe some of his pain was leaving. Perhaps a bit of both. He didn't know but he slumped and didn't fight against it. He was exhausted from fighting.

"Alright, young man, step aside, goodness I haven't seen someone hurt like this in some time," Recovery Girl walked up. She smiled and looked down at the two boys. "Oh well," her lips puckered as she bent to kiss Anamiya.

Rin pulled back, eyes wide with hero worship. So this was the Hero that First Aid had been recommended by and served her sidekick term under. It still was weird she kissed people to heal them, but at the same time, chilling.

"Rin," Anamiya said softly, once Recovery Girl had finished with him and turned to Katou. He couldn't look in the other boy's direction, so he stared at his feet. He was feeling a lot better, sensation had returned to his hands, but he was still weak and weary beyond belief. "Thanks."

"Yeah," Rin nodded. "I don't mind...just...don't hurt yourself so much next time."

Anamiya gave a small, lopsided grin at that. He wasn't able to promise that and they both knew it.

"I've got to go wake the others up," Rin said. "I'll be back."

Anamiya made a small sound of acknowledgement, then pressed his face against his legs again. How would he ever be able to apologize to Katou?

Kito watched, making sure both students were alright before stepping away, making a call to Cementoss. There would need to be some repairs made before the last teams took their turns. The two would be sent to the nurses office for the remainder of the day. He wouldn't have them up and about until Recovery Girl released them.

That hadn't been as weird as Sutoi had thought it would be; actually, he was feeling better than he before Nakamaru has used his Quirk on all of them. He had no idea why, but he wasn't complaining. He grimaced as he looked around, seeing the repairs being quickly made to things. There was blood that would be hard to get out; his stomach rolled at the thought and he looked away, hoping it would be much better next time around. He was sure the others feel the same way.

"Thanks, Ishiyama," Kito nodded. "I'll be able to finish the class today."

"It wasn't a problem to catch this on my way out," Cementoss waved as he stepped out.

"Alright," Kito looked around. "Time for Team Four."

Staggering to his feet, Anamiya made sure he was steady before glancing around, wondering where Rin was and if he possibly could get back to the dorms before Recovery Girl caught him or Tsukinose showed up. He knew she wouldn't be pleased, rightfully so, and the thought about being anyone else was less than appealing.

Rin staggered down the stairs after the four, grinning at Yun and waving a little before letting his hand fall to his side. The very air seemed to buzz around him. He'd used too much of his energy to restore, and his head was pounding.

Fairly sure he hadn't before seen a shade of the pale Rin was, Anamiya made a quick decision and limped towards him. He had passed out enough times in his life to see where this was going and thought that since Rin had helped him, he should return the favor.

"Where are you going?" Recovery Girl asked, helping Katou up and onto the cot.

Damn. Exhaling deeply, Anamiya didn't turn her way. "I'll be back," he murmured, trying to ignore the way his head was spinning. Rather he actually would or not was debatable, but he figured that would be a later decision.

"Nakamaru," Kito said, noticing the state of his student. "Recovery Girl get another stretcher ready."

Anamiya reached out, grabbing the other boy by the arm, and holding as tight of a grip on him as he could. "Easy," he murmured softly. He supposed he had overdone it and the thought instantly brought up waves of guilt.

Rin rubbed the back of his head, trying to shrug as if he wasn't feeling like the room was spinning. "It isn't too bad...actually...I…" Rin seemed to lose another shade of color.

Anamiya grimaced as he saw just how pale the other boy had gotten in the last few seconds. He wondered how he was even still standing. "Easy," he repeated softly, before easing himself to the ground, and taking Rin with him. His legs had been trembling and he had known neither would have been standing for much longer.

"I think I'm going to take a nap," Rin fell forward, almost passed out before he finished his sentence.

"Easy," Kito caught him. "You two are spending the afternoon with Recovery Girl."

Kaori waited until Recovery Girl had taken both Yun and Nakamaru from Kito, then approached her teacher. "We lost." It wasn't a question, but a statement. She had seen the damage and though she knew it had happened on both sides, she also knew it would create the most problems for her and Yun.

"It's a tie," Kito said, walking back towards the other building as the Fourth Team prepared for their match. "I stopped you before time. Your points were even. I assume you are already taking notes and see what you could have done." He glanced down at her, eyes slightly narrowed.

Kaori met his gaze. She had wondered about that, but had simply assumed that perhaps she hadn't heard him calling time. That would teach her a valuable lesson. "Why did you stop us?" she asked, ignoring his latter comment.

"I think you know the answer to that, Tsukinose," Kito said, taking his seat in front of the monitors. "If you want to get into philosophical details about why I did, take it up with Doctor Mura."

Kaori tilted her head slightly to the side, examining him carefully, before nodding sharply. "Of course, Sir," she said, though they both knew she wouldn't and had all the answers she was needing.

"Anything else? I am your teacher after all," Kito asked, hand hesitating over the start button.

Kaori raised an eyebrow; she made a note that she would certainly have to find more information on him at a later time. "No, that's all. Thank you."

"Alright then, without further ado," Kito shrugged. "Begin."

* * *

Smoke filled the entire room. Fuyuki once again thanked the designers for the mask and goggles. It was so much easier to use her quirk. Her team up with Rakugaki couldn't have been better. Her mask was not unlike Fuyuki's, protecting Rakugaki from both smoke and paint. If not for the haze you would have been able to see the see the splatters of paint along the walls and several different designs. She wasn't sure where Rakugaki was at the moment, but Kinoshita and Daitenshi were in the hardlight. Her smoke moved from around the room, focusing around the sort of forcefield. As long as Kinoshita didn't touch them, then they would be fine.

"Give it up heroes! Your time has come for defeat!"

Hanami glanced at her assigned partner, torn between rolling her eyes and laughing. She settled on shaking her head; he was simply having way too much fun with this, she thought. Rubbing her eyes, she tried her hardest to see through the smoke but couldn't make out anything for certain. They had been doing rather well until this had happened.

"Ready?" Fuyuki yelled.

"Yeah!" came the response.

The smoke parted at one point around the Hardlight block, and one of Rakugaki's paint bombs went off, the color seeping under Daitenshi's defenses. The smoke closed again, so that Rakugaki could get into position.

Sutoi couldn't deny that he was having a lot of fun with this; however, he was aware they were going to end up losing this, but he was proud that he and Kinoshita had done as well as they had. He grimaced as paint began to seep underneath. He hoped it wouldn't be hard to clean. He pushed up his shield, though with how thick the smoke was getting, he wasn't sure it was doing any good. He thought about using the hardlight against them, but he had never done it before and didn't want to hurt anyone.

Hinata grinned, she could be great friends with Moto. They both had come up with this plan using the genius of two pranksters. Suddenly the smoke disappeared. Hinata dove forward into the red and blue fish, popping out under Daitenshi, driving her fist into his jawbone. She had watered down the paint so it would ease under the hardlight faster. Once that was removed they could both face Kinoshita.

Sutoi stumbled backwards, and while there was small part of him that thought the pain wasn't all that unpleasant, it still hurt. Grimacing, he kept the hardlight shield up, even as he inched closer to Kinoshita. "Your heroes will never win," he said loudly.

Hanami took a chance and reached out, grabbing the other girl's arm. She wasn't sure this would work, but she had to try to repel her. She had never done something like this before and knew she wasn't the only one being tested, but she supposed that was what this was all about. "Drop it," she called to her partner, hoping this would work.

Hinata grimaced as she was flung backwards, but the Hardlight was down. That meant Moto could use her quirk more effectively.

Fuyuki grinned as the forcefield thing was lowered. She used her smoke to attack their eyes and a little to sting their lungs. If she had filled the forcefield it might have done lung damage. Now she could use it to her advantage.

Coughing, Sutoi threw the hardlight back up, his eyes stinging. A little less enjoyable this time around but still clever. The girls were smart. He would have to tell them that once this was done.

"Ha! No more clean places, this whole room is my canvas!" Hinata jumped in again, attacking Daitenshi again.

Realizing that she had to help him but knowing they couldn't lower the shield, at least not right now, Hanami began working her way to the paint, running her foot through it. She wasn't sure if it would do anything but she had to try again.

Hinata jumped out before Kinoshita could throw her again. Turning to Moto she nodded. Definitely time.

Fuyuki covered their hardlight in smoke, closing off all visibility. This would work, especially since she had gotten a swipe at their eyes. She held the paint bombs Rakugaki had given her.

Wiping at his eyes, Sutoi realized that they had now officially run out of choices. Oh, well. While he was disappointed that it had turned out this way, he had had a great time. He suppose all they could do now was wait to see how the girls finished this.

Hanami was frustrated; they could have done better, she could have done better, but she would admit that this was a challenge well fought. She sighed, forcing herself to ignore the stinging of her eyes that the smoke caused. She was helpless and she didn't like that feeling at all.

"Time up. Heroes win."

* * *

Kito nodded as the last team came in. It was a surprising match. There were definitely things that needed working on. Like never being satisfied with a stalemate, but compared to the last fight, it ran smoothly. Just some eye drops were needed. Also this team managed to get two Hostages out before time. Not bad.

"Shimizu and Marseille go set up your Hostages," Kito turned to the two girls.

Reine crossed her arms, walking up to their teacher's chair. "I won't be participating in this exercise."

Kito sat back in his chair, one dark eyebrow arched as he surveyed her. "Why is that, Marseille?"

"Because I came to this school to become a Hero, not a Villain. I don't think the faculty has any right to force students to go against their moral conduct. What's the point even?" Reine held out a hand.

"It's a training simulation, Marseille," Kito said dryly. "To observe…"

"So your training us to be Villains, Mr. Kito?" Reine's gaze never faltered as she stared him straight in the eyes.

"That's the last thing I want to do, Marseille," Kito sighed. "Ever since the Hosu Incident...hell even before then, there have been people who idolize Villains. Something twisted in their brains thinks its fun to root for people who break the laws of this world. Heroes seperate themselves entirely from Villains, to the point of thinking they have to have pure minds. This has only increased because of events a few years ago."

"I don't see why this is relevant," Reine said stubbornly. "Why is having a pure mind wrong? What does people idolizing Villains have to do with this training scenario?"

"Sometimes, to understand why the wolf goes after the sheep, you have to get inside its head and figure out its hungry," Kito replied seriously.

 _"Just keep thinking that, kid."_

"That still isn't relevant, if this is a school that trains Heroes, why are we pretending to be Villains? I'm not going to have to pretend to be a villain when I'm a Hero, so why now in training?" Reine ignored the memory echoing in her head. "Why do you seem to support thinking like a Villain so much?"

"This teaches you to know what the Villain might be thinking, so that you as a Hero, will someday be able to stop situations like this," Kito sighed. "If you want to argue more, go look it up. This simulation is older than my time here. Even the former Number One Hero, All Might, used a simulation like this. Are you saying he supported villainous thoughts as well?"

"I'm saying that the school should evolve in its teachings." Reine didn't back down. "With everything that's happened, UA shouldn't be encouraging villainous behavior even to teach a lesson. Heroes shouldn't think like Villains. I'm not going to participate in this...simulation. Not unless you change things so that we can be Heroes."

Kito shook his head. "I'm not changing anything. Everyone else has participated. I'm sure they can tell you they've learned a few things. Now, if you don't want to learn, I suggest leaving before I feel the need to expel you."

"Oh okay! Then let me book my private jet! At least Mother will be happy because I'll be attending her high school instead of Father's now. Ah, right, my phone isn't here. Can I go get my phone so I can tell Risa to prepare a flight back to France?" Reine stared at him.

"Have fun," Kito turned around, raising a hand and waving farewell. "If you're leaving, no need for me to grant you permission. Do what you want. Send a postcard."

"This is where I'm going to step in," Doctor Mura stepped between them. "I don't think this is the best solution. Now, Miss Marseille uncross your arms and don't act so defiant, it's not becoming. And Kito same goes for you, being a smartass isn't the qualities looked for in a teacher. Don't twitch your eyebrow at me. Miss Marseille, I think you made some admirable points, your desires and goals in becoming a Hero are quite pure. Though let me warn you," the young man's eyes bored into her. "That if you refuse to take advice, even with a helping of salt, your path will be difficult indeed. I do believe you should stick with your morals though. Kito, do you mind letting Miss Marseille sit out on this class? I do believe she can learn more by observing, than participating today."

"Doctor's orders?" Kito glanced back.

"Afraid so," Doctor Mura spread his hands.

"Alright Marseille," Kito looked at her. "Sit out on this class, but I want a five-page essay explaining to the last detail why you did so tomorrow. Also, I want you to consider that you're leaving Shimizu without a partner. I wonder if that is a heroic move."

Reine was almost speechless. The words of Kito and Doctor Mura swirled with the memories that she still couldn't crack. She still believed firmly that playing a Villain was wrong. She hadn't wanted to leave U.A. but she would have walked out just a few moments ago and never have looked back. "I'll do that," she tilted her chin up. "I hope to participate in class again, when I don't have to play a twisted game of Villains."

"Now, to find you a partner, Shimizu," Kito turned his gaze on the students who had already participated. "How about one of the Hostages, you can do with three. A…"

"If it's alright," Keoko interrupted Kito. "I can do this alone. I don't need help. I'm strong and I'm sure fighting against two won't be difficult at all."

"Are you sure?" Kito once again arched his eyebrow.

"Positive," Keoko grinned. "I don't want to change the dynamics. The Heroes need to rescue four people from this dastardly cute girl," she stuck a thumb towards her chest.

"Alright," Kito nodded. "Then take your Hostages and assume your position."

"Will do!" Keoko cheered, waving at some of her less enthusiastic Hostages to follow.

"Let's talk after class," Doctor Mura leaned down close to Kito after Shimizu went skipping from the room. "I have some questions about the students."

* * *

Keoko giggled evilly. Unwrapping her scarf she waved it in front of Akio, who sat behind her. "Since you are my Hostage does that mean I get to tickle you?" she swung the scarf. "I could be the Awful Dastardly Tickle Villain."

Akio narrowed his eyes, looking briefly at her stupid scarf before turning his gaze to her. "No," he grunted, wondering how he was ever roped into this.

"I don't think Hostages get to tell Villains what to do," Keoko pouted, holding the scarf in her fingers.

Akio found himself looking at the scarf again, then when he caught himself, he pointedly tore his gaze away from it. He raised an eyebrow in silent response, wondering once again how she ever became his best friend. He supposed that he couldn't get rid of her at this point, tough he would never admit it to her, he couldn't stand the thought of doing it.

"With me in charge, this will be the most comfortable Hostagery you will ever experience," Keoko let go, touching the capture tape and sending it off as well.

"I'm going to die," Akio muttered, heaving a sigh. There was no doubt about this.

"Of fun!" Keoko hopped over, wrapping his shoulders in a hug. Since he was sitting this was an accomplishable feat.

Akio groaned softly, but didn't pull away, though he really didn't have a choice in the matter. "You're ridiculous, Keo," he muttered.

* * *

"I'll fight her, you can get the Hostages," Haruto waited for the signal to start.

Forcing back her nerves, Akari shook her head, brushing her fingers to her temple. "I can make her think they're still there. Help me get them out, then we'll go after her." She hoped this would work, but she had to have faith in her Quirk.

"Alright, as long as I get to fight her," Haruto agreed after a moment.

Akari gave him a small smile. "Alright. You have my word."

"Good," Haruto nodded, deciding to follow her lead. She seemed to know what to do, and there would be a good fight so he didn't really care.

Not a minute later, the sound to begin rang out, and Akari glanced briefly over her shoulder, pressing a finger to her lips to signal silence then she moved quickly, trusting that he would follow. She had to have all her concentration on the task at hand to be able to do this.

Haruto followed as quietly as he could. He wondered vaguely what she was planning on doing. He didn't remember what she had told him about her quirk. Something to do with mind projections or something like that.

As soon as they had a good view of the hostages, but they couldn't see them, Akari stopped. "Go as soon as I say to," she said softly.

Haruto nodded, looking seriously into the room. Shimizu sat looking around the room, the Hostages behind her.

"And be quiet." Akari thought she might be able to mask the sounds he and the others made but she wanted to make sure all their bases were covered anyway. Taking a deep breath, she focused on the hostages. "Go," she breathed.

"What am I doing?" Haruto asked, frowning a little, his eyes turning toward her.

Akari didn't look at him even as she spoke. She didn't need to see the hostages to make this work, but she needed to keep an eye on Shimizu. "Untie them and bring them back. Start with the one closest."

Haruto nodded, he was itching to fight, but he also wanted to win. He unwound the tape on the sullen twin before moving to the next.

Nothing had changed, nothing was in anyway different. Akari chanted this to herself silently as she focused on keeping the image the same way Shimizu was expecting it to be.

Keoko chatted, keeping up 99.99% of the conversation with an occasional grunt from Akio. It was their usual.

Akari kept going, making sure not one thing was disrupted in the slightest. Detail and control were the two things that were the most important in using her Quirk and without them, this wouldn't go even a little in her favor.

Haruto released the Hostages from the capture tape and brought them to the hall where Akari was waiting.

Akari gave him a brief smile, pleased at how fast he worked. "Are you ready?"

"Yes," Haruto clenched his fists, his eyes unblinking. "I'm always ready for a good fight."

Not sure if that was good or not, ut appreciating how utterly enthusiastic he was to the cause, Akari stepped back, letting him lead as she dropped her control over what Shimizu was seeing.

Keoko jumped as everyone disappeared and the opponent student stood before her. It must have been a quirk. Quickly she flung her deep blue jacket open grabbing one of her 'rope shot'. In another pocket she grabbed a handful of marbles and flung them onto the ground.

Haruto watched the marbles roll on the ground towards him. Quickly evading them he tried to get close. Just as he did the rope would coil around his legs, trying to trip him. This would be harder than he thought.

Akari hadn't been expecting any of this, but how could she? She didn't know Shimizu, not really, but even if she did, she was very unpredictable. What Akari was learning that she should always expect the unexpected from her.

Suddenly, capture tape whirled into the hallway. Keoko's blue scarf closing in from behind. Both moved as if on their own accord.

Akari swore softly, backing up several steps. Could her Quirk work on them? She didn't know, but people and animals were a little different than animated objects such as these.

The scarf started for Akari's legs, winding up around them and working towards her arms.

Trying not to panic as she felt the scarf began to wrap around her arms too, Akari managed to grab her retractable staff, shoving it into the material. She needed a little space, and she hoped she would get it with this action.

It pulled off her, slithering at her feet, trying to trip her.

Akio was watching the girl and the scarf, but his attention was mostly on the latter. His lips twisted into a scowl. He hated that thing and by the time this was done, he was certain he wouldn't be the only one. It was awful and watching this, he was reminded of all the times he had entangled with it. Keoko may claim innocence all she wanted, but he knew she was perfectly aware of what it did.

* * *

Kito stood in front of the gathering of students on the street in front of the test building. Besides missing a few of their students, this would be a fitting end to the class. After the Heroes won in the last round he had called everyone out for the last few minutes of class.

"I want all of you to use your quirk on me," he said. "It's always good to spar with a professional, see how to measure yourself and set goals. Don't worry about hurting me."

Kaori narrowed her eyes, glancing over her fellow students. Some, like Rokuro Saito, looked eager, some, not so not much. She was one of them; she hadn't been expecting this, and she didn't like being caught off guard.

"I'll do it," Rokuro walked up, red light flashing around his hands. With a yell, he rushed forward. However, just before he got to Kito, his emotion manifest flickered out. Confused, he slid to a stop, looking down at his fists.

Kito shook his head, "Next."

Liam took a step backwards, eyes wild. It was clearly a trap, just as he suspected it would be...but from an authority figure? His stomach twisted with uncertainty.

Seeing no one else was ready to take the challenge, Hanami pushed her way through the other students. She didn't think she would be any more successful but she wouldn't back down from a challenge.

"Push or pull as hard as you can without too much of a drawback," Kito said.

Pressing her lips together tightly, Hanami reached out a hand, intent on repelling him. She had a feeling this was going to end badly, but she was determined to give it her best shot.

Nothing happened, Kito stood still, as if unaffected by her repel. Glancing around at the students he glanced at his watch. "Next," he said.

Keoko stepped forward, sending her scarf slithering towards him. A few feet away, it fell limply to the ground, no longer animated.

"Anyone else?" Kito asked after a moment.

Haruto ran forward, this would be interesting. His quirk couldn't be stopped like the others. Whatever their teacher's quirk was, it couldn't stop him.

Kito caught his fist easily, "Your enhanced strength and senses are gone even though your appearances stay the same. If we were in water, your abilities would also vanish."

Haruto backed away. He was never really good at staying away from fights he knew he couldn't win, but this one baffled him. What was Kito's quirk anyhow?

"Does anyone else want to try?" Kito looked around at the remaining students.

"What exactly do you do, Sir?" Hikari asked finally. She couldn't figure it out and not knowing bothered her.

"That's what I want you to find out," Kito said, his eyes settling on Tsukinose before moving on. "Do your research, find out everything you can about me. I want a written report on what you find at the end of the week. Hopefully some of you will also figure out a way to defeat me as well. Feel free to ask to put your theories to practice anytime."

Kaori didn't betray his gaze, simply held it until he looked away. Frowning, she studied him for several long moments.

"Class dismissed," Kito said.

* * *

 **And now a glimpse into the world. A New Year treat just for ya'll!**

* * *

"Welcome to the Vanguard."

Rei Yoshida smiled brightly, her eyes lighting up with the action. "Thank you. I'm very excited to be here."

Izumi Nagashi glanced at the enthusiastic girl beside her, sighing heavily as she looked over at their new leader. "Why so small?" she asked.

Dabi smiled, blue eyes glittering at the question. "Only some of our strongest are admitted into the Vanguard. We don't need numbers."

Clapping her hands together, Rei's smile grew. "Well, I am that," she said without a hint of shame.

"Remind me why you put Miss Popular in your category of strong," Izumi scowled darkly at the girl dressed in pink.

"Think of her as...good press," Dabi offered. It hadn't been his idea to invite her along, but Kurogiri had thought it best. That meant Shigaraki knew and agreed. His plans usually came out for the best, no matter how crazy they turned out to be in the first place.

"I am that," Rei agreed. She was very proud of the fact.

"Alright, everyone," Dabi rolled his head towards the others. "This is Rei Yoshida, Spotlight, and Izumi Nagashi, Dhampir."

"There are some new faces that aren't on the Wanted lists," Izumi glanced at Dabi, expecting an introduction.

"Seeing as you know the others, I'll let them introduce themselves," Dabi waved a hand.

A young boy, yellow eyes wide and wild, chuckled. "Another bloody villain like you Toga," he glanced at the blonde chatting with Spotlight. "Call me Kouki, but once I make a name for myself the posters will say, Pied Piper."

A woman with thick blue hair smiled, though it didn't reach her eyes. "And I am Yoshi Uchina, but I prefer Claustro."

Izumi nodded, "It is good to meet you. I've heard about your quirks. You are both quite powerful."

"I look very forward to working with all of you," Rei said, a slw, sly smirk curling at her lips. As she looked around the small group.

* * *

"Hey, Mr. Tatsugami, another shipment is being loaded at the dock, you want it parked in 3L?"

Masa Tatsugami rose from his chair, shoving the pile of paperwork back with a sigh to look at the map of the yard. The large mahogany desk filled the spacious room, the secretary, leaning through the partially open door, glanced at the pile of incomplete work.

"Yes," he nodded, tapping the area marked 'unoccupied' until it said 'filled'. "Make sure they have it facing out this time."

"Will do, Mr. Tatsugami," the secretary glanced at the clock on the wall. "Oh, you are picking up Emi and Kyo today from school because you are having dinner with them tonight. I have your reservation papers ready. Oshiro will have the car around in fifteen minutes."

"Thank you, Koizumi," Masa said, signing off on a few papers hurriedly. "I almost forgot the time. Besides the Ishikawa job, do I have anything urgent needing done before I go?"

"No." the secretary shook her head. "That job is the only one that needs completion today."

"Good," Masa signed several papers before handing them to Koisumi. "Thank you for filing these while I'm gone."

"It's just my job, Mr. Tatsugami," Koisumi took the papers and slipped out the door.

Masa straightened his tie and jacket, grabbing the two festive birthday sacks for his daughters. Already ten years old. Shaking his head he pulled on his coat. He was getting old. It wasn't a long walk to the front doors where he waited a few minutes for Oshiro, his chauffeur. The ride was fairly silent since Oshiro was deaf. Masa apprieciated the man's loyalty and devotion to his kids. The girls especially liked playing with the old chauffeur. The drive to the restaurant would be filled with giggles and stories about the day. Masa smiled, they were certainly full of an energy he could only dream of now.

"Father!" Kyo was the first in the car followed by her twin.

"Hello girls," Masa said affectionately as they buckled into seats on either side of him.

"You wouldn't believe what Kyo did today," Emi beamed, brushing her silvery hair behind her.

"No don't tell him, I want to," Kyo waved excitedly.

"What?" Masa glanced between them.

"Ten cartwheels all in a row," Kyo grinned. "One cartwheel for every year I am."

"Ten." Masa looked up thoughtfully. "I thought you girls were nine…"

"We are ten!" the girls exclaimed in unison. "It's our birthday!"

"But you just had one last year," Masa protested.

"It happens every year," Emi said seriously. "Next year we will be eleven."

"No," Masa shook his head. "I won't allow it."

"Father…" both girls groaned.

Masa laughed, listening to the girl's chatter about their school day as Oshiro finished the drive and dropped them off at the restaurant.

"Table for seven for Tatsugami," Masa held out the reservation paper, trying to keep the presents out of range of the prying eyes of the girls.

The subject of conversation turned to their lessons with their older brother in strengthening their quirks. They met on Friday afternoons after school in the family gym, a source of endless entertainment for the girls seeing as how it usually turned out to be a game of tag. His phone rang and he made a face, answering it reluctantly.

"Mr. Tatsugami," Koisumi's voice buzzed over the speaker. "Someone's been researching Fumi's son, would you like me to lock down the files?"

Giving his daughters a "one moment" signal, he leaned back against the padded seat of the booth.

"No need," Masa answered. "There isn't anything I want to hide."

"Alright, Mr. Tatsugami, thank you."

Hanging up, Masa glanced up as the girls jumped up in their seats waving at their siblings. Turning the phone on silent, he stuffed it back into his pocket standing to greet his three eldest children.

"Sorry we're late," Ichiko piped as she walked up, heels clicking.

Masa glanced around, "Rin didn't come?"

"Haruko didn't invite him," Ichiko held up her hands helplessly. "I guess he forgot."

"I see," Masa shook his head. "I'm sure he's tired after the long day at school. We'll have an extra seat tonight then…"

"You are late," Kyo pouted.

Haruko huffed out a breath as Emi hugged him tightly. "It was his fault, not ours," he jerked a thumb back at their older brother.

Masa turned to his eldest, arching an eyebrow. He shrugged, trying to look innocent as he straightened his tie.

"Sorry, Combat Class ran late today."

* * *

 **Phew! Longest chapter we have completed so far, but we wanted to give you guys a look into our villains. We hope you enjoyed this chapter! It was a lot of action. Next one will have a bit more getting to know the characters outside of combat and classes.**

 **We are opening the SYOC for Villains from now until around the 5th. Independent and League Villains alike. Same sheet you used before!**

 ***smoke and mist* A look into the future from our Fates (who still don't have definite quirks yet...still thinking thoughts). Our next big chapter chunk will cover.**

 **The USJ trip!**


	11. Chapter 11

_Reviews with Alumni and Loki :_

 _gold crown dragon ~ We are glad he has such faith in us and we'll do our best to live up to the expectations_

 _Supreme Kai of Booty ~ Ooh great extra information! Sutoi definitely had more fun. Thanks! We are glad we are doing Sutoi justice and now has an idea O.O_

 _LifeisBeautiful17 ~ Aw Yun is precious. So is Genjiro...adorable baby boi. Suspicious of Kito *delicate gasp* now why would anyone be suspicious of him? *glances away* Thanks for the villain!_

 _JustNonsensical ~ Glad you liked it! You'll be seeing more of Kito in the future!_

 _Attackin ~ Yun is one of our favorites too! We'll see what we can do with Akari and Haruto ;)_

 _Ajwin11 ~ Thanks for reviewing! Glad you like it!_

 _61394 ~ Happy New year! Ooh good points, yeah Kito could have explained it better. Ooh nice Fates ideas!_

 _Starblitz1312 ~ This long one was kind of an accident, but we did enjoy it! Genjiro is a sweetie though! You'll have to wait and see about Kito :D_

 _MysteryAgain ~ The USJ training will be awesome! Oh good reminder about descriptions! Its included partially in this chapter, and we've made it a point to put in some more descriptions in future chapters!_

* * *

"Ever since the dorms were put in. I've heard it's tradition. Plus its a good way to get to know everyone who's living here. We will all end up seeing each other's rooms anyway."

"I think it's a great idea," Kaede agreed. She vaguely wondered if the other girls would think it was weird that she liked the classic American series, Batman. Very 21st century animation, but she liked the old style. However she was going to spend the next three years here, night and day, so everyone would get to know each other very well. She glanced over at Rokuro Saito and Hanko arm wrestling a few feet away. She'd be surprised if that coffee table didn't break in half at the rate they were going.

"Hey, knock it off, I think we are going to tour the rooms," Kaede walked over.

"Not me," Rokuro ground his teeth, muscles bulging in his arm as he struggled with Hanko. "What's the point even."

"To have fun," Kaede said.

"What does it look like I'm having now?" Rokuro ground his elbow into the table, pushing against Hanko.

"A king of the hill fight," Kaede said flatly.

"We'll be there," Rokuro grumbled. "Just let us finish this."

Eizen glanced at his brother, then looked away, pressing his lips together in a tight line. He knew anything he said, such as a "be careful" would be taken the wrong way so he kept his silence. He really didn't want to do this, mainly because he wanted some time to himself.

Anamiya shifted, wondering if he could find an escape from this...situation. He really didn't care for the idea of exploring the dorms with a large group like this.

"Come on, Eizen!" Keoko grabbed his hand, pulling him up. She already had Akio secured with her other hand so none of them could lock themselves up.

Akio gave Eizen a sympathetic look, who just sighed, expression becoming resigned. He was glad to see the other Saito was quickly learning to give into Keoko's whims; it saved a lot of time to just do it.

Genjiro hopped around, his leg fully recovered after spending the first part of the afternoon with Recovery Girl. "Come on, Yun, let's join the fun. It's a tradition you know. You want to start the school year off with good luck! Where's Nakamaru and Tsukinose?"

Anamiya flinched, shying away. He didn't understand why Katou seemed not to hold any bad feelings towards him with everything that had happened but he was grateful that he didn't anyway. "I don't know," he muttered. He had been avoiding Tsukinose the best he could and he hadn't seen the Rin in a while.

"We'll have to get them," Genjiro turned excited eyes around the room. "It's so cool to be living with friends all this time we are in school."

Anamiya really wasn't sure about this. He didn't have any friends, not really, though he supposed Rin would be considered one but the other boy had already mentioned that he wouldn't be staying at the dorms.

"There's Nakamaru!" Genjiro waved at the boy descending the stairs.

Relieved to see him, he would be the first one to admit he was beginning to feel overwhelmed, Anamiya relaxed slightly.

Rin waved, walking over to Katou and Yun. "Hey, what's going on?" He asked, looking around at the groups of their classmates.

"Dorms," Anamiya muttered, shifting his weight uneasily between his feet as she glanced down at them.

"It's a tradition, if you want good luck all school year you show off your dorm rooms," Genjiro said. "It started back when the dorms were built."

"Oh, I don't think I can participate," Rin looked thoughtful. "It's getting late…"

"Nonsense, we'll start at the top so we can see your room, then you can go study or whatever you do," Genjiro said. "A little fun won't hurt."

"Well," Rin looked at the clock. "I guess I have a little time…"

"Great! It's settled! Shimizu! Let's start at the top and work our way down!' Genjiro said, starting up the stairs.

Anamiya grimaced, not looking forward to this at all but not sure if he had any other option beside to go with them.

"It can't be too bad, we haven't had time to make our rooms messy," Rin glanced at Anamiya.

Anamiya stared at his feet in silent response. How could he even begin to explain his boundaries, te walls he had created?

"If you don't want to, you don't have to," Rin said. "I get it."

Anamiya glanced up at that, eyes wide and searching. Did he?

"If it was back at the apartment," Rin shrugged. "I wouldn't want anyone coming in the building, let alone my room. In my Junior High, we didn't do things like this. It's kind of weird and all, being around so many rich people."

"It is," Anamiya murmured, looking back to the ground again. Rin was right; he did get it. It was such an odd experience, but just being around people was like that for him.

"Oh well, I'll show them my room, then I've got to go," Rin said. "You're welcome to join me. Well...uh, if you have enough money for the bus...I kinda don't have very much right now."

The thought of getting away instantly made Anamiya brighten. He really did need to get away. "Where are you going?"

"I've got this job," Rin said, rubbing the back of his neck. "At the Tengoku Gardens. I take care of the plants and make sure they look healthy for the visitors during the day."

Anamiya hadn't ever heard of that before, but he really didn't get out much so he wasn't surprised. "I like plants," he murmured. They were easier than people.

"You do? Then you'll love this place! They have so many different kinds of exotic plants," Rin said. "It's a pretty cool place."

"You wouldn't mind me coming?" Anamiya asked softly. Rin had invited him, yes, but he couldn't help but double check.

"No, I don't mind," Rin said. "This shouldn't take long. Then we can slip out."

Anamiya gave him a highly grateful look. He hoped Rin knew he appreciated it. He was really tired of being around people and the sentiment grew with every moment he thought.

"Let's start off!" Keoko waved. "Uh, whose room is first?

"Uh, that would be mine," Rin said, smiling. "It isn't much really….not sure how this will bring good luck."

"Of course it will, Pro Heroes Deku, Dynamite, and Shouto started this, as well as the up and coming sidekicks, Creati and Uravity," Keoko said. "Lots of others too...like Red Riot and Froppy. We have to continue the tradition!"

Akio rolled his eyes but kept up with her, though she hadn't really give him a choice in the matter. He wasn't sure how many of them agreed with her on this, he really didn't, but he appreciated no one bursting her bubble.

"I do like Creati," Akari admitted. She liked Deku and Uravity too, but honestly, who didn't? They all seemed so inspiring and she really hoped that one day she could inspire others the way they inspired her.

"Well, here it is," Rin opened the door. He had a mattress on the floor with a few blankets. An old battered desk in the corner with his school supplies scattered across the scarred top. A pristine poster of First Aid hung on a wall that he had kept perfect during the move. "Definitely not a winner."

"You know First Aid?" Sutoi asked, eyes wide as he stared at the was clearly taken great care of and even at the distance he was at from it, he could see it signed with her first name. That was insanely awesome.

"Eh, yeah," Rin rubbed the back of his neck. "She's like...my Hero among Heroes."

Akari nodded at that. She understood just what his words meant.. "Is she as nice as they say?"

"Yeah," Rin nodded. "Even nicer than what the news reports. She's helped me a lot the years, especially understanding my quirk."

Hearing the clear respect and fondness in his voice, Akari smiled. "I'm glad you have her."

"Me too," Rin said. "Well, if we are done...I've actually got to be somewhere…"

"Thanks for doing this, good luck all year," Keoko waved. "Have fun! So who's next?"

Anamiya stared at the floor, wondering if it would just swallow him whole. He hoped it would.

"Come on, Yun," Rin waved back at Keoko. "Let's go!"

Relief filling his expression, Anamiya was more than glad for the out and he hoped the other boy knew it.

Once outside, Rin reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out a box. "Want one?" Rin asked, popping a cigarette into his mouth, fishing for his lighter.

Not even looking up, Anamiya shook his head, taking a deep breath of the evening air. It was nice and not nearly so loud. He really didn't like a lot of noises, even less the loud ones.

Lighting it, Rin sighed, sticking his hands back in his pockets. "So, uh, do you look up to any Heroes, Yun?"

Anamiya startled, the question drawing him sharply from his thoughts. "Deku," he said finally. His voice cracked and he was forced to clear his throat. He thought he might have done damage to his vocal cords again, though not nearly as bad as before thanks to Recovery Girl. "I look up to him."

"Yeah, that makes sense. Deku is so cool," Rin agreed. "He's a really great inspiration."

Anamiya nodded, studying the tops of his shoes. "He is," he said softly. He inspired Anamiya in more ways than just one.

"Oh, this way," Rin waved. "The bus stop is down here!"

* * *

"Alright, let's go over things," Keoko waved her arm. "Before we vote."

 **Boys:**

 **Rin Nakamaru** : Plain room, boring desk, but a really cool poster of the Hero, First Aid.

 **Haruto Hanko** : Macho room, swimming, wrestling and fishing trophies, weights, some weird shiny objects.

 **Eizen Saito** : Really blue room, spotless, dozens of bookshelves, and a really neat samurai sword.

 **Akio Saito** : Organized room, pictures of siblings, his mom, and Shimizu, a huge fish tank.

 **Sutoi Daitenshi** : Already messy room, a bookshelf full of Suspense and Horror books, various movies, pictures with his family.

 **Rokuro Saito** : Really angry room, some boxing posters, some strange spicy chili eating contest trophy.

 **Genjiro Katou** : A kitchen ish room, lots of superhero movies, and pictures of various tranquil landscapes.

 **Girls:**

 **Fuyuki Moto** : Cool room, jar full of marshmallows, books on ninjas and do it yourself pranks, and a photo of her at a haunted house.

 **Hikari Raiji** : Peaceful room, a jade colored tea set on a small table, lots of books, and a cute fluffy bunny called Thor.

 **Kaede Kōmori** : Batman room, a small fridge with mangos and hot sauce, pictures of her and her parents, and some gymnastics posters

 **Akari Seishin** : Nerdy room, lots of books, many anime posters, numerous posters of Deku, Uravity, and Creati, and several adorable hamsters.

 **Hinata Rakugaki** : Graffiti room, several paintball guns, brightly colored candy, and a few art books.

 **Yukiko Ikeda** : Freezing room, boxes of green tea, and some warm looking hoodies.

 **Keoko Shimizu** : Girly room, lots of chick flick movies, poster of various Heroes, and lots of scarves.

"That's all of the rooms," Keoko said. "Yun and Tsukinose didn't participate so it's just between the fourteen of us. Alright everyone, put in your votes!"

Akio took a survey of the room, noting that Liam Crook never showed, which he wasn't surprised by considering how skittish he had been earlier, then sighed, tearing carelessly at his thumbnail. He didn't bother to reach for a paper; he didn't really feel motivated enough to do it, but there was also the fact that Keoko was effectively pinning him by sitting on his long legs."I vote for Keoko," he muttered, because that was what he was supposed to do. He was a very loyal best friend.

"Akioooo," Keoko patted his head, to show she appreciated the vote. "You are supposed to put a paper in the box so its anonymous."

"You're sitting on me," Akio pointed out dryly. "And the box is on the other side." She was ridiculous.

"Oh, right," Keoko waved at him. "Oh well, I'll write your vote."

Akari watched them with a smile, then shook her head, pulling her legs up and tucking her feet beneath her before writing out her own vote. She had enjoyed this a lot, getting glimpses of the other students, and hoped it really did bring her good luck. She thought it just might.

"Hey, Seishin," Keoko glanced at the other girl, as all the votes were placed inside. "Would you count the votes?"

"Of course," Akari agreed easily as she accepted the box, dumping the contents onto her laps and beginning to carefully count each slip of paper.

Eizen stared at the wall, black hair shielding some of his face. He was beginning to feel familiar despair weighing heavily upon his shoulders. He glanced briefly at his twin, then looked away, paying only somewhat to the conversation around him. He had no one to blame for his brother's hate beside himself.

"Hikari Raiji," Akari said finally, looking up and smiling at the other girl. "Is our winner."

"Yay, Raiji!" Keoko cheered. "Your room was really nice, plus your bunny was so cute!"

Hikari prided herself in rarely being surprised, but this time, she had to admit she was. She blinked, looking at the others. "Thank you," she said, finding the words awkward, but also knowing she really didn't have another correct response.

Keoko grinned, looking around at the room. Her eyes narrowed on Eizen and she gave him a pat on the head. "Don't look so sad when you have good luck all school year," she scolded lightly.

Startled, Eizen flinched away, then gave her a glare, before lapsing back into silence. A moment passed, then a small smile replaced the scowl.

"Behave," Akio grunted, seeing what Keoko had done to the black haired Saito. Normally, he would have pulled her back, but he had caught Eizen's smile and thought that maybe this time, it would be fine.

Akari shook her head as she watched them, smiling, then leaned back in her chair. She looked forward to getting to know this group.

* * *

 _Two days later…_

Doctor Mura leaned back in his chair, sipping on the tea and glancing down at his clipboard. His long green hair was pulled back in a ponytail as usual, long bangs hanging down at the sides of his face.

"How are your students progressing on their reports on you?" He looked up at Kito.

"Very well, a few had questions on just how to conduct the research, so I gave them some pointers," Kito said after a moment. "I have a feeling some of them are going to find things not even I know about."

"Afraid that they might find something you don't like?" Mura tilted his head sideways. "Such as your darker past?"

"That was a long time ago," Kito said.

"Only seven years I believe," Mura tapped the clipboard. "Or that's what you told me."

"You can't find out that information online," Kito smiled easily. "Did I tell you about the letters I got from the Marseille girl's parents? I certainly wasn't expecting it. At this point, Marseille needs a bit of maturity before I can send her on a Hero Study. She has a year."

Noticing what Kito was doing, Mura shook his head. "You think she will be scarred by reality?"

"Perhaps," Kito tapped the arms of his chair. "She's my biggest challenge, even more than Yun if you can believe it."

"I see," Mura studied Kito. "Have you finished reading the essay she gave you?"

"I wish," Kito said. "I got behind when I received the letters. Plus I had a meeting with Principal Nezu. I've only got five pages left of the twenty I recieved."

"Perhaps you are letting your past affect the tests you give?" Mura leaned forward.

"No," Kito shook his head. "This test was in place before I came."

Kito jumped as his phone rang. Doctor Mura frowned watching as Kito pulled out the cellphone, looking down at the screen.

"I've got to take this, it's past time anyway," Kito muttered, standing up. "Tomorrow then, Doctor Mura."

"Tomorrow," Mura smiled suspiciously.

Kito stepped into the hall, making sure the door was closed before answering. He leaned against the wall, glancing both ways.

"Thanks for waiting. Uh huh. Now? It's only the First Year, we can't use any of them. Nakamaru is fine, why do you ask? Why is he your first candidate? Who else? I understand, but I want to….alright. Goodbye."

* * *

 _Friday_

"So, I am interested in what have you all have learned about me," Kito said, sitting down in the chair at the desk. "Who would like to share their findings first?"

Looking carefully at her classmates, Kaori settled back in her chair, lips pressed together in a tight line.

"I'll do it," Kaede stood up. Her wavy purple hair bounced against her shoulders, yellow eyes scanning the notes she had made. "You were a studied at U.A. as a member of the Hero Class B. After becoming the Hero, Failsafe, you had a sidekick position under several different low ranking Heroes, until you left and became a lone Hero. There wasn't any reason for this that I could find...Oh! Your Quirk is 'Deadzone'. All quirks fail to work in a radius of 15 feet around you, and you can expand the radius to 100 feet."

"Correct," Kito nodded. "Did you find a way to defeat me in combat?"

"Not that I am aware of," Kaede looked thoughtful. "Since quirks don't work, one would have to know fighting techniques, sort of like with Mr. Aizawa. Though I assume you have your own line of defense like he does. The only way to outmatch you would be by experience, fighting style, and overall strength and endurance."

"Excellent points," Kito replied, "Does someone have something to add to this?"

"The information that can be found on you is strange," Kaori said, meeting his eyes as she kept her seat. "There are gaps, a lot of missing pieces in anything previous to your arrival here., including but not limited to names of your parents, hometown, and how exactly you obtained your Quirk. There's also a lot of files that have been closed and are untouchable for people who don't have the proper clearance," at least right now, she added silently, "Of course, I can't forget about your time working under number five hero Guardian, who...unfortunately..is now deceased. It was all very tragic."

Kito remained silent as she spoke, never breaking her gaze. When she finished, he cleared his throat. "Well, do you have a strategy to defeat me?" he asked after a moment of silence.

Kaori took great pride in her talent of catching people off guard, and this time, it was no different. She noted that while he had covered it fairly good, she still had rattled him. She didn't feel any pity for him; she was simply doing what he had told her to after all. "Of course I have," she said smoothly. That had perhaps been the easiest part of the whole assignment.

* * *

Rin sighed, walking into his room and pulling the door shut. He had to work on his English paper from Present Mic, evidently falling asleep during that period in Junior High hadn't been a smart decision. Dropping his backpack on the floor, he flopped into his chair, wondering if Present Mic had run out of red ink on his paper. Oh well, he should stop procrastinating and use the book the teacher had placed into his hands after class. Adjusting his glasses, he dug into his pocket, grabbing a cigarette, he looked around on his desk for a lighter.

"Looking for this," Kaori said, somehow making it a statement instead of a question. She nodded to the lighter she held, black ponytail bouncing with the action. "For the son of a drug dealer, you're stupider than I thought."

Rin nearly fell off his chair when she spoke. His stomach felt like it dropped to his toes at her next words. He opened his mouth, before shutting it. From the look on his face, she would already know that he couldn't deny her words. Because they were the truth.

* * *

 **Hi everyone! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! The following information is IMPORTANT to your characters and the story arcs :D**

 **So after USJ comes the Sports Festival! *flags and confetti* Anyways we have some fun events planned, but the final one remains the same. One on One battles. Now approximately 80 students for Round One, approximately 40 students for Round Two, only 16 will advance to these battles.**

 **Now if Alumni can ever figure out the technology behind setting up a poll (inner old person showing up here) I'll put up a poll of students from Class A and students so far in B...Also soon I'll have a chapter dedicated just to some information about everyone so far. Be sure to check that out before voting because...**

 **You can't vote for the character you submitted. Yep, cruel meany gezeny authors over here. Vote for your favorite character besides your own.**

 **We'll be taking your votes into consideration along with your reviews (they count as points for your character). We'll have some decisions in the matter of who are the cemented final 16 (because plot), but your input could mean your character comes out top.**

 **JSYK we are writing some events that happen during the Sports Festival and are intentionally avoiding students so we can be partial and let the winners come as they may.**

 **OH there are some juicy tidbits (well kinda) in the character info chapter, so look carefully! You might discover some things you didn't know beforehand ;)**


	12. Chapter Eleven and a Half

_Reviews with Alumni and Loki_

 _LifeisBeautiful17 ~ Yes, we thought so too! Props to her creator for the brilliance. They are a nice crew! Also not seeing Liam's room reflects his personality lol, but we will definitely see it at a later date. Also there's the fact that he doesn't live there….which I just now remembered. That was a cute little bit! So suspicious…..yep gotta add those drugs! We look forward to hearing from you!_

 _Attackin ~ Glad you liked the chapter and we're very intrigued too. Can't wait to see how it all works out!_

 _gold crown dragon ~ Yes we're doing our best to give as much depth and personality to our characters!_

 _Supreme Kai of Booty ~ Loki forgot how nicely he dressed lol...but I too love the irony! Kaori marches to her own beat...hopefully she'll recognize that about Rin too._

 _Starblitz1312 ~ We are glad you are enjoying them all! Yes Kaori and Hikari are very much alike and ooh I bet you are right! Yes we were awwing when writing that scene. How could anyone not like Thor? Eizen is a very sympathetic guy, honestly he would feel bad that you feel bad for him...Rin and Yun are very sweet, we look forward to building their friendship even more later on. All will be revealed eventually, but that's all we can say right now ;) They aren't anonymous? *sweats* time for new plans…._

 _Butterfly Chikage ~ Don't feel bad, glad we got the important stuff in the PM! Thor is so cute. Yep, I'm pretty sure they do because of that one Sports Festival, because its televised. There are 16 living in the dorms actually and there are four on each four living quarters floors. We listed in order from the fourth floor down so I'll let you deduce. Hehe ship to your heart's content lol! We don't mind. There's a lot involving Hanami and Kaori that will be revealed over time...Thanks! *fistpump* Success! We are really glad you can't read him because that's his character lol! No problem...oh yes! So suspicious! I wouldn't say its a more effective quirk than Aizawa's quirk. Nothing quirk related enters the zone, even if your ally is in it they can't use their quirk, bit of a double edged sword. Reine's arrow would disappear, however a real arrow like Yajima's wouldn't and his quirk would work unless he stepped into the zone. Its just Kaori's character, she's like that lol! We'll find out! Such a pure friendship! Thanks for your input we've taken it into consideration. It may seem early but its not that far off. Especially how we are taking things. Season 2 is the best. Villains are still open!_

 _61394 ~ I'm sure she would! I'm glad you liked that segment with Kaede! Definitely, you'll see that in the upcoming chapter :D Yes there are a bunch of strong characters! It will be exciting! Nice, we look forward to it!_

* * *

"Hi guys!" Keoko snickers, dragging Akio in after her. "So Alumni and Loki noticed a few people wanting some scenes from characters that don't get a lot of screen time. So we…" she points at herself, Akio, and Nakamaru. "The Original Three to the story wanted to announce some things! Isn't that right guys?"

Akio sighs, then nods. "That's right," he agrees.

Rin stares at Shimizu, thinking that she's exactly like Marseille and that he doesn't need a caption quirk but a slow motion quirk. "Well, uh, first off," he rubs the back of his neck nervously. "I wanted to address my smoking habit. I know a lot of you were really worried in the reviews and I kinda wanted to explain it to you." Not really but Alumni made him so… "You see it has to do with my quirk. If I drain someone I absorb all that energy. When I heal someone I release energy. However to avoid an energy backlash when I drain someone, I do a lot of bad things to my body so a fraction of that energy will be focused on healing me and not doing something weird like prolonging my lifespan outrageously. So smoking isn't really bad for me. I also eat some junk food and hardly sleep at night, especially while in school. I really do appreciate all your worry for me."

"You do all that and still get high scores on tests?" Keoko shrieks.

Akio calmly presses a hand over her mouth. "Not so loud," he scolds.

"Um, do you guys want to handle the rest?" Rin asks.

Keoko shoves Akio's hand off her mouth. "Right! So what was that other thing...oh yeah! Leave a request for a scene with a character like...uh...Yukiko Ikeda vs Akio, or Hinata having to draw the Mona Lisa. Oh! Request seeing Yun and Tsukinose's rooms because they didn't participate in the contest! Plus I really wanted to see all of the rooms," she pouts. "Anyway leave your request and Alumni and Loki will do their best to write them! Isn't that cool?!"

Barely resisting the urge to put his hand back over her mouth, Akio sighs again. "If anyone's interested, I really don't want to do that," he mutters.

"Don't be a party pooper," Keoko waves at him, slapping his arm. "Okay and Alumni and Loki wanted us to tell you the below might seem really BORING. BUT! There are tiny bits of information that you might want floating around in there so just keep an eye out. Oh and this chapter will updated frequently with new characters that come in so they'll tell you if there's anyone new!"

"Is that everything?" Rin glances around.

Akio nods, glad to be done. "It is."

"Wait I wasn't done," Keoko pouts. "I guess I'll have to see you guys later. Bye!"

* * *

 **Characters Information:**

 **Students**

 **CLASS A**

 _ **YUKIKO IKEDA**_

Quirk: Absolute Zero! This allows her to lower both her body temperature, and lower the temperature of the water vapor around her, causing the water to turn into ice! The lowest she can make the water vapour to go is Absolute Zero, causing anything to touch the ice with bare skin to have frostbite with in seconds!

Personality: Chilly, hard to befriend, however she is concerned about the welfare of humanity.

Appearances: Small, wavy ashy white hair with some bangs, white eyes.

 _ **GENJIRO KATOU**_

Quirk: Force Absorption! He can absorb the energy and later project it for his own use! When he projects it back out it is in the form of what it was prior!

Personality: Extremely optimistic, loving, a protector, quick to forgive.

Appearances: On the tall side, unruly curly honey blond hair, dark red eyes.

 _ **HAMNAMI KINOSHITA**_

Quirk: Magnetism Polarity! Her quirk allows her to magnetize people or objects and attract or repel them, depending on what hand she uses! Her left hand repels, while her right hand attracts!

Personality: Confident, ambitious, angry gurl, a bit obsessive, has the intelligence to back all of

this up.

Appearances: Tall, dark long red hair with even cut bangs on either side of her face, cat-like

amber yellow eyes.

 _ **LIAM CROOK**_

Quirk: Shadow Skim! He can morph into a circular shadow on the ground, that can move along essentially any surface, apart from water, and air! As a shadow, he can faster than most cars at his top speeds!

Personality: Paranoid, skittish, quiet, a hard worker.

Appearances: Medium height, short jet black hair with bangs parted to the right, brown eyes.

 _ **KAEDE KOMORI**_

Quirk: Echolocate! Like a bat she can send out an ultrasonic wave from her mouth allowing her to pinpoint objects and people within her range of twenty feet!

Personality: Fun loving, sarcastic, with a strong sense of justice.

Appearances: Tall ish, wavy purple hair, pale yellow eyes.

 _ **AKIO SAITO**_

Quirk: Water! Basically he can manipulate water surrounding him within 500 feet! This includes bodies of water such as rivers, lakes, and even the puddles after a rainstorm! Also he can use the moisture in the air as well as his body!

Personality: Extremely quiet, loyal, good-natured.

Appearances: Really tall, long dark purple hair pulled back in a ponytail, pale blue eyes.

 _ **EIZEN SAITO**_

Quirk: Emotions Manifest: Melancholy! This quirk turns his raw emotions into a form of energy! Eizen's energy is a deep sapphire fulled by feelings of melancholy! His energy is rather limited and takes a while to replenish so he has to use it wisely and make every shot count! He utilizes this by focusing the energy into tightly condensed forms allowing it to slash through things!

Personality: Depressed, somber, reflective.

Appearances: Medium height, medium length jet black hair tied in a ponytail, deep red eyes.

 _ **ROKURO SAITO**_

Quirk: Emotion Manifest: Rage! This quirk turns his raw emotions into a form of energy fueled by his rage! This energy empowers his body making him far stronger than a regular human capable of chucking around huge weights like they were bean bags!

Personality: Angry boi, great sense of humor, outgoing, will not back down.

Appearances: Tall, short spikey ash white hair, deep blue eyes.

 ** _KEOKO SHIMIZU_**

Quirk: Animation! With the touch of her hand she can animate any lifeless object! She can control a few large objects at a time or many smaller objects! The effect lasts until she claps her hands together to release the objects!

Personality: Extremely optimistic, dedicated, innocent.

Appearances: Tiny, long blue hair, pale blue eyes.

 _ **KAORI TSUKINOSE**_

Quirk: Slight! With her Quirk, Kaori instantly switches the location of herself, others, and objects within an area slightly smaller than her field of vision! This range can be increased to everything in her field of sight if she's swapping herself with an inanimate object!

Personality: Terrifyingly intelligent, closed off, ambitious.

Appearances: Short, long black hair tied in a ponytail when training or serious, black eyes.

 _ **AKARI SEISHIN**_

Quirk: Mind Trick! She can implant false images and sensations into a person's mind tricking them into believing something else is occurring! It can affect animals as well! This also grants her protection against other mind-altering quirks.

Personality: Kind, friendly, an absolute fangirl.

Appearances: Medium height, long silverish gray hair pulled back into twintails, pink eyes

 _ **RIN NAKAMARU**_

Quirk: Quintekinesis! He can control the life-force of any living being! With his right arm he can drain life force, adding it to his own, and with his left he can fill another living being with life force from his own. It speeds up the healing factor in people so he can heal an injury in only a few minutes!

Personality: Eager to please, encouraging, a lowkey fanboy.

Appearances: Kind of short, medium length blond hair, green eyes.

 _ **HARUTO HANKO**_

Quirk: Fish! This gives him a more impressive physical build and gives him many attributes of a fish like scales and webbed fingers and toes. He can swim, run, and fight better than most people due to training in the water, his superstrong scales also allow him for better offensive and defensive strength.

Personality: Muscle head, always looking for a fight, but generally a nice dude.

Appearances: Pretty tall, no hair but teal colored scales, teal eyes as well.

 _ **REINE MARSEILLE**_

Quirk: Lottery Arrow! She can summon a bow and an arrow spun through a lottery of seven different types! Once the type is selected, she has to use it before she can draw another one! Additionally, the higher her elevation is, the higher the possibility of spinning a lucky spin!

Personality: Fluffy, easy going, curious, a good amount of obliviousness, child-like.

Appearances: Medium height, lush pale blue hair that runs down to her waist, the ends having

a gold tint, bright gold eyes.

 _ **FUYUKI MOTO**_

Quirk: Smoke! Fuyuki can produce clouds of smoke, like that from fire, from her skin, as well as control them. She can also feel things in her smoke as if she were seeing them!

Personality: Playful, teasing, a bit of a tomboy.

Appearances: On the short side, long burnt orange hair that is often in a ponytail, bright orange

eyes.

 _ **ANAMIYA YUN**_

Quirk: Beserk! This quirk allow Anamiya to go absolute berserk,and ignoring most of his body limitation like muscle condition and even nullify pain for the period of his quirk activation. The damage he can dish out during this can be extreme to both himself and others.

Personality: Very shy, anxious, strong character.

Appearances: Small, completely black hair with a streak of orange cut short except for bangs in

the front, orange eyes.

 ** _HIKARI RAIJI_**

Quirk: Polarized Horns! Her horns on her head have electrical charges to them! One negative, one positive! She can create a charge between them and emit a stick of lighting in whatever way her head's facing!

Personality: Confident, creative, and a total perfectionist.

Appearances: Small, long silky lavender hair, golden eyes.

 _ **HINATA RAKUGAKI**_

Quirk: Graffiti! Graffiti allows her to warp from place to place by using paint as a medium for both her entrance and exit! As long as a surface has been painted on and is 200 m from her position as well as visible to her she can warp to it while maintaining the velocity she had when entering the paint!

Personality: Prankster, energetic, and a fun sort of rebellious outlook on life.

Appearances: Quite small, medium length black hair, the tips dyed brown, gray eyes with

speckles that seem to change colors.

 _ **YAJIMA RUSHAINDO**_

Quirk: Sixth Sense! With Yajima being pretty much blind, all of his senses are enhanced to tell his surroundings, but his quirk acts as his eyes! Yajima is able to send out radio waves that bounce back at him, acting as a form of echolocation but with radio waves instead of sound! The radio waves are always on, so Yajima "sees" the world only in shades of grey!

Personality: Playboy, elitist, bit of a pretty boy too.

Appearances: Small, short midnight black hair that falls into his eyes, sunglasses.

 _ **SUTOI DAITENSHI**_

Quirk: Hardlight Materialization! He can create and manipulate holographic light making it very resistant against sharp objects or elemental quirks! He can also create hardlight at a distance from him, as long as he can see or have a good grasp of where he is!

Personality: Warm, kind-hearted, voice of reason, a bit of an unwilling closet pervert.

Appearances: Also tall boi, long pale blond hair with bangs that frame his face, bright purple

eyes.

 **CLASS B**

 _ **JAYGUN RYU**_

Quirk: Spirals. He can spin things.

Personality: Quiet, thinker, pervert.

Appearances: Medium height, curly light blue hair styled into an afro, purple eyes.

 _ **AKIYO YAMAMOTO**_

Quirk: Warrior's Touch. She can understand people's fighting style by touching them.

Personality: Calm, collected, honorable.

Appearances: Medium height, jet black hair tied in a ponytail, blue eyes.

 _ **NARRUK MONDRONEN**_

Quirk: Lycanthrope. He can turn into a werewolf.

Personality: Snarky, territorial, a leader and protector.

Appearances: Tall, dark dirty blond hair, orange eyes

 _ **KAMIN AOKUMA**_

Quirk: Polar Bear

Personality: Easygoing, happy, focused.

Appearances: Medium height, short royal blue hair, chocolate brown eyes.

 ** _YOUTA OREKI_**

Quirk: Druid. He can his lower limbs into plants.

Personality: Laid back to the point of laziness, cynical, a bit apathetic.

Appearances: Small, unruly curly dark green hair, hazel eyes.

 _ **JAKUNA DORADO**_

Quirk: Pickpocket

Personality: Relaxed, analytical, curious.

Appearances: Small boi, jet black hair unimpressive flat style, light brown eyes.

 _ **MASAMI IKEDA**_

Quirk: Vertigo

Personality: Quiet, imaginative, honest.

Appearances: Medium height, the right side of her thick and curly hair is white, turning to gray

at the tips and her left side is black turning to gray at the tips, her right eye is green while her left

is blue.

 ** _SUMIRE CHIKANDA_**

Quirk: Banshee

Personality: Shy, kind, a wee bit of a pushover

Appearances: Small, thin silvery gray hair, deep purple eyes.

 **GENERAL STUDIES**

 _ **YUKI KIODAI**_

Quirk: Snow

Personality: Laid back, cold, emotionless.

Appearances: Medium height, messy white hair with black streaks, ice blue eyes.

 **SUPPORT HERO CLASS**

 _ **AKIRA TOUJO**_

Quirk: Pinpoint. She can hit whatever she targets as long as it is in range.

Personality: Cold Beauty, passionate, humble.

Appearances: Tall gurl, onyx black hair in a ponytail, sapphire blue eyes.

 **TEACHERS AND U.A. STAFF**

 _ **DAISUKI KITO**_

Quirk: Deadzone! All quirks fail to work around him in a 15 feet radius! He can expand this radius to a maximum of 100 feet!

Personality: Dry, a bit on the sarcastic side, generally wants to help students, rather on the dark

side of perception.

Appearances: Tall ish, raven black hair, black eyes.

 _ **ROUNDUP**_

Quirk: Hemp! At any moment Elvira can turn her fingers into strong ropes! Using these ropes she can detain villains in an instant! She has to be careful though, and make sure she uses her special lotion so that they are fireproof and waterproof.

Personality: Highly optimistic, a bit flippant, scatterbrained to the point you wonder how she became a hero.

Appearances: Tall, dark brown hair divided into two long braids falling over her shoulders, Gray

blue eyes with streaks of yellow near the pupil.

 _ **DOCTOR KIRO MURA**_

Quirk: Perception! His quirk allows him to pick up the smallest details, such as lying, half truths, or when someone is lying. He can quickly analyze a person's life in moments making him a Japanese Sherlock.

Personality: Friendly and open, very realistic at times, tries to connect with all people, empathetic.

Appearances: Tall ish, long green hair pulled back into a ponytail, emerald green eyes.

 **HEROES AND VILLAINS**

 _ **FIRST AID**_

Quirk: Medical Textbook! She can look at any injury and know how to take care of it with a 100% success rate!

Personality: Motherly, caring, concerned human being.

Appearances: Medium height, braided black hair, and violet eyes.

 _ **GUARDIAN**_

Quirk: Archangel! With his quirk, Guardian is able to produce massive amounts of light. He also has enhanced strength as well as a booming voice!

Personality: Stoic, slightly intimidating, a kind-hearted hero.

Appearances: Giant, short golden hair, several golden eyes.

 _ **SPOTLIGHT**_

Quirk: Unknown

Personality: Peppy, flamboyant, not intimidated by anyone, attention seeker.

Appearances: Medium height, blonde curls, blue eyes

 _ **DHAMPIR**_

Quirk: Unknown

Personality: Brooding, dark, bloodthirsty.

Appearances: Tall, pure rich red hair hangs below her shoulders, bright red eyes.

 _ **PIED PIPER**_

Quirk: Unknown

Personality: Maniacal, creepy, overall crazy.

Appearances: Small, plain brown hair a few strands falling into his face, yellow cat-like eyes.

 _ **CLAUSTRO**_

Quirk: Unknown

Personality: Cool and collected

Appearances: Small, thick dark blue hair, brown eyes.

 _ **MASA TATSUGAMI**_

Quirk: Addiction

Personality: Quiet, loving father, strategist

Appearances: Tall ish, long silver hair that falls just below his shoulder blades, pale green eyes.

 _ **UNKNOWN ELDEST TATSUGAMI SON**_

Quirk: Ecstasy

Personality: Late

Appearances: Unknown

 _ **HARUKO TATSUGAMI**_

Quirk: Speed

Personality: Overbearing, bratty, never wants to take the blame

Appearances: Medium height, long wild orange hair, silver eyes.

 _ **ICHIKO TATSUGAMI**_

Quirk: Pain

Personality: Wants to be noticed, a bit loose, caring soul

Appearances: Small, curly silver hair that falls just below the shoulders, yellow eyes.

 _ **EMI AND KYO TATSUGAMI**_

Quirks: Bonds

Personalities: Sweet little girls, easily excited, eager to please.

Appearances: Small, silver hair in buns with a few curled pieces hanging out, deep brown eyes.

 **CANON CHARACTERS (so far)**

 **Shota Aizawa**

 **Hizashi Yamada**

 **Hitoshi Shinsou**

 **Momo Yaoyorozu**

 **Izuku Midoriya**

 **Shouto Todoroki**

 **Ocharo Uraraka**

 **Katsuki Bakugou**

 **Principal Nezu**

 **Recovery Girl**

 **Tsuyu Asui**

 **Eijiro Kirishima**

 **Thirteen**

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **So after seeing everyone's reviews we decided to change things up a bit.**

 **This is for the purpose of choosing characters for the Sports Festival. We know it's early but we want ya'll to have a basis of students. Also some info on other characters. We aren't asking for answers back until closer till time but here's an example of the questions we will probably ask:**

 **Who is your favorite character (not the one you created)?**  
 **Who is the strongest student in your opinion**  
 **If the above was answered with your character, please list a second strongest**  
 **Who would you predict to be in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place?**

 **Think on this when you place your character scene requests! Again, we are not asking for answers yet. We hope you enjoyed this!**


	13. Chapter 12

**_Thanks to everyone for their input and scene suggestions. We will start incorporating them into the next chapter, seeing as how this one was half finished XP Also YOUTA's name not being in bold was a transfer mistake ugh. Doesn't mean a thing you little conspiracy theorists ;) ;) ;)_**

* * *

 _Masa Tatsugami stood outside of the shadowed building. He lit his cigarette, letting the end glow and fall off before entering through the door. Despite the darkness outside, the building was lite with various colored lights. Shadows gyrated to raucous music as he walked past the foaming customers to the lady at the front desk._

" _I'm here for him," he said, blowing a puff of smoke off to the side._

" _He's back here," the woman huffed a breath, waddling off towards a back room. "All he's been doing is cleaning. We wouldn't put a little boy on the stage, no matter how many creeps might request it."_

 _Masa didn't reply, stopping in the doorway. Sitting on a crate, a little boy with light blond hair and deep green eyes sat, glasses slipping off his nose. He looked up confused at the woman._

" _This is your dad," she grunted at him. "He paid for you double what your mom sold you for. You must be worth it."_

 _Masa handed the woman a bag, letting her look through it. Satisfied, she left the room. The little boy looked up, staring wide-eyed at him. Mass bent down, till he was eye level. Holding out his hand he smiled._

" _I'm Masa, you don't have to call me dad yet," he said softly. "I came as soon as I found out. What's your name?"_

 _The little boy tilted his head. "I'm Rin."_

* * *

Masa sighed, setting back in his chair and looking at his computer screen. Rin's student papers gleamed up at him.

"So grown up," Masa shook his head. "I just wish you would come home."

"Mr. Tatsugami?" Koisumi stuck her head into his office. "Some of your strains were apprehended by the police."

"You know what to do, Miss Koisumi," Masa said. "Destroy the chain of evidence."

"Yes sir."

* * *

Rin stayed put in his chair. Staring at Tsukinose, he kept searching for words to say. Nothing he thought of seemed like an appropriate response. "Look," he said after a moment, tossing the cigarette between his hands. "It's just a blood relation. I'm not affiliated with him."

Kaori abruptly tossed the lighter at him, already weary of watching his rapid hands. "Is that right?" she asked flatly.

"Yeah," Rin caught it, forcing himself to stay still. "I have nothing to do with him anymore."

"Anymore," Kaori repeated, making a point to empathize the word. She was watching him carefully, making sure not one of his actions went by unnoticed.

"Dammit," Rin cursed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Look I was in a bad situation as a kid, and he took me in for a while but that's all. I got out and since I joined U.A. he's stopped bugging me about coming back."

Kaori stared at him for several long moments. "Why exactly is it you're here?" she asked finally. She was curious to see what his response was to this question.

"I want to be a Hero," Rin said. "Like First Aid."

"I see," Kaori said, not able to detect any kind of dishonestly in those words. She was an excellent source of spotting lies, but this time, this time she couldn't find anything, despite every bit of her that was certain that she would.

"Anything else?" Rin asked after a moment of silence.

Kaori stood up, ponytail moving with this action as well. Her eyes were as dark as her hair when she looked at him again. "Where do you go at night?

"My job," Rin replied flatly.

Arching an eyebrow, Kaori stared at him.

"If you don't believe me, you can come tonight," Rin said, reaching in his backpack and pulling out his paper.

"I believe I have more interesting things to do with my time," Kaori said carefully. She didn't want to babysit him.

"Alright," Rin sighed, scowling at his paper. "Go invade someone else's room."

A small, amused smirk crossed Kaori's features, then she disappeared as silently as she appeared.

* * *

Yun hadn't been able to come with him tonight, so he was all alone to contemplate what Tsukinose had said. Reaching up, he raised a large green leaf, golden light straightening the branch.

"That looks strong," Kaori said, peering over his shoulder. She didn't have a green thumb but she could still appreciate things such as this.

"Aah!" Rin jumped, spinning around to face Tsukinose. Taking a deep breath, he glanced around, wondering how she had come in. "So I thought you had better things to do…." he looked confused at her.

"And I did them," Kaori said simply, stepping around him purposefully so she could examine the plant better. She had no idea what this could be.

"It's a Diphylleia Cymosa, or an American Umbrella leaf...largest one in the world," Rin said. "It's not as popular as the others, but people like to look at the huge leaves. They have a nice vein pattern and overall shape."

Kaori nodded, running her fingers along the edge of one of the leaves. "It is impressive," she agreed, admitting that he did have an impressive knowledge of this world.

"Oh uh, you don't want to touch them...they don't like it...you can talk to them though...carbon dioxide...they love it," Rin rubbed the back of his neck.

Kaori glared at him, wondering why he thought he could tell her what to do, because he really couldn't.

Rin cleared his throat, "So uh...your analysis on Mr. Kito was really interesting today...you really did your research...but I guess you do that for everyone...am I really that interesting? I mean, without knowing about my...blood connections."

At that, Kaori looked up. "What exactly are you asking, Nakamaru?" she asked finally. She tried her best not to be impatient. Whatever it was, she wished he would just come out and say it.

"Oh, nothing like that," Rin waved his hands in front of him. "I mean...your strategy is awesome...I witnessed it first hand earlier this week and well hearing your report made me think you've probably read some of the books I have."

Kaori's lips parted slightly, then she frowned. "What books might those be?" she asked carefully.

"Oh Brant's Volumes of 22n'd Century Stratagems and some of the manuscripts from the time of the Ancient Greeks and Romans," Rin said. "Do you play chess?"

"I do actually," Kaori said, rather impressed about his choice of books, rather she would admit it or not. She hadn't read many from the ancient times, but Brant's Volumes were indeed a treasure in her opinion.

"Yeah I learned a while ago, I've only played on simulations for a while now, my mom didn't play," Rin sighed.

Kaori stared at him for a moment, trying to decide if perhaps she might have finally found a worthy opponent. If anything, she would both get to know him better, and have some amusement, if they did play. "Are you working tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I get Saturday nights off," Rin said. "Would you like to play?"

"I would," Kaori said, curious to see how exactly this would go. Nakamaru was certainly an interesting variable.

"Great," Rin grinned.

"Nakamaru!" A man's voice called.

"Oh, back here Mr. Rysuke!" Rin yelled back.

"I'll see you then, Nakamaru," Kaori said, dipping her head, then turning. She didn't bother to tell him a meeting place or time; she would find him and they both knew it.

"Oh uh, yeah," Rin nodded, glancing back at her. "Goodnight!"

Kaori waved a hand over her shoulder, but didn't otherwise comment, working her way back the way she had come. Nakamaru was proving to be far more interesting than she had originally thought he would be.

Mr. Rysuke came around the corner just as she left, walking over to Rin. "I'm leaving out. So, you got a girlfriend now, eh?"

"Oh no," Rin shook his head quickly. "She's not my girlfriend!"

"Uh huh," Mr. Rysuke winked, chuckling.

"Seriously, Mr. Rysuke," Rin sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "She's way too scary to be my type."

* * *

"Sorry about the late notice," Aizawa said, rolling from his sleeping bag and brushing back his hair. Again, he added silently because this wasn't the first class he had done this with. "But today you all will elect a class representative."

Yukiko looked up, they had only been at school for a week. It seemed strange to be picking a class representative so early when they hardly knew each other. But it was a necessary position to fill. This would be difficult. The Class Representative would have to embody the ideals of the class. Yukiko looked around, she definitely didn't want that role.

"The position of class rep is very important," Aizawa said, glancing around at the students. Some met his eyes, some didn't. That was to be expected. "It'll prepare you for a job of leading others, rather that's other heroes or civilians."

Hinata, for once fully alert in class, looked around at the other students. This past week had been terrific and she had made a great friend in Moto, both discovering that they equally loved pranks. The last few days had been trifles, they would be going all out prank wars soon. Logic said they would make horrible class reps, but it would be hilariously fun.

Eizen stared out the window, though he was listening to what Aizawa was saying. He wasn't interested in the position himself; he didn't deal well with pressure and he knew that the role of class rep would have a lot of it involved.

"How many of you are interested in this?" Aizawa shifted his weight slightly, fairly certain he could count at least half out without them needing to say anything. There were more quiet ones this year than the last two classes combined, he thought.

Ignoring Akio's 'don't you dare' look back at her, Keoko shot her hand up. "I'd love to try!" she piped up eagerly.

Akio groaned under his breath, pressing a hand to his face. Of course she was going to.

"And I would too," Hanami said, leaning back in her chair with a grin. She thought she would be perfect for the position, however she also knew there for a few others in the room that could come in a close second.

"I too would love to take part in this, be sure to vote for me." Yajima winked boldly at the girls that spared him a look.

"We should take a vote," Hikari suggested, because she could see this going around in circles and wasting time when they could be learning was pointless. "Whoever gets the most votes is surely the best option."

"It would be a popularity contest," Hinata pointed out. "Shouldn't we let Mr. Aizawa decide? I mean, he's been doing this for a while."

"Is there anyone else that's interested?" Aizawa asked. There were four so far, but he had a feeling that there would be more. So when Hikari raised her hand, he wasn't surprised. Five then.

Genjiro raised his hand, he always enjoyed a challenge. He had gotten to know a lot of the others over the past few days though and had already figured out who to vote for if they did indeed put it to a vote.

"I'll do it," Rokuro's eyes flashed. He'd noticed Eizen hadn't volunteered, and he was sure to get more votes than the crazy girl.

"I'll try too!" Hinata shot a mischievous look at Moto who only shook her head.

Once he was certain that all who were interested had spoken, Aizawa nodded, studying each one who had done so. "Some of you have already shown remarkable qualities that would serve you well in this role."

"So we should take these into consideration when voting?" Hinata asked.

"Yes," Aizawa agreed with a sharp nod. "I have no doubt that you all have a good understanding of these eight's characteristics and will make the right choice for the leadership of your class."

"Alright," Hinata nodded, assured by their teacher's approval.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Hikari stared at the results, barely aware of what Aizawa was saying. Her and Katou...tied? She glanced at the boy, wondering what he thought about this. She was very aware of her intelligence, but he was far more sociable than she was. Perhaps that was it.

Genjiro glanced around. Raiji was way smarter than him. He'd figured that out a while ago. She would make a good Class Representative. What would happen now?

"As you can see, Katou and Raiji each have four of the votes," Aizawa said, honestly not surprised by this one. They had been the two most likely candidates. "To save us time," he really would actually like to teach something today, "We won't do another vote. Raiji and Katou, figure it out."

Genjiro raised his hand, "I vote for Raiji to be our Class Representative. She's really smart and will probably do a better job than I could."

Once again, Hikari found herself surprised. She stared at him, trying to judge if her was serious or not, and when she decided he was, she nodded. "I'm sure that my talents would be very beneficial to this position," she said firmly. "And thank you."

"That's settled then," Aizawa said with a nod at Katou. That had been easier than he had even hoped for; he had little doubt these two would do the class good. "Now I have another announcement."

* * *

Hands in his pockets, and expression one of mild annoyance, Aizawa stared at the other man. "About time you showed up, Kito."

"Late night," Kito shrugged glancing at the bus. "Everyone is in?"

Not commenting on that, Aizawa nodded. "We're ready to go."

"Alright, but you're driving," Kito said, climbing into a passenger seat.

"I wasn't giving you a choice," Aizawa said bluntly, turning his attention away. He would never admit this, not even to Shinsou or Emi, the two people in the world that knew him best, but he had to fight back a feeling of uneasiness every time he came out here. But he knew that like everything concerning trauma, time would make it better. He would just have to wait, though five years was a very long time.

Genjiro bounced in his seat, chatting to whoever would listen. Ever since Mr. Aizawa announced they were taking a class trip, his mind had been spinning through possibilities.

Anamiya stared out the window, lost in wandering thoughts. He was grateful he had brought his headphones; it lessened the sounds around him and with them, he made himself seem too busy to be approached. He was more than alright with this.

"Yun," Rin gave him a long look. "You are procrastinating."

Startling, Anamiya's hands flew to his headphones then after a moment, in which he realized he was being addressed, he pulled them off. "What?"

"You said you wanted to talk to Katou," Rin reminded him.

"I did?" Anamiya flushed when he made it as a question and not an agreement.

"Yeah," Rin replied. "You should do it you know…"

A flash of guilt crossed Anamiya's expression as soon as Rin finished speaking. "I know," he murmured, staring back out the window. "But an apology doesn't seem enough."

"I'm sure he'll understand," Rin said. He hadn't known Katou very long, but the fellow student seemed to brush of everything and forgive without hesitation.

Anamiya released a breath. "I'm not," he said, voice still soft. Why would Katou be anything besides upset?

"Well you won't know unless you try," Rin shrugged.

Swallowing hard, Anamiya stared at the boy several seats away. His feet felt like lead.

"You can do it," Rin encouraged him.

Catching himself as he picked relentlessly at two of his fingernails, Anamiya shook his head. "I don't think I can," he murmured, trying not to panic at the thought.

"Well, I think you can," Rin replied.

Anamiya clenched his hands into fists so he would be forced to stop playing with his fingernails; he didn't want them to start bleeding this time. Why did Rin have such faith in him? "I….I.."

"It's up to you," Rin shrugged. "But I say go for it."

Several moments passed then Anamiya forced himself to his feet then to start walking over to Katou. He knew Rin was right; this was something he had to do. He walked past Akio Saito, who was taking up two seats because of how tall he was; both his legs were stretched out, feet dangling towards the ground.

Genjiro settled in his chair, looking out the window at the various buildings they were passing. Totally distracted, he didn't notice Yun's approach.

"I'm sorry about your leg," Anamiya blurted, knowing if he didn't say it as soon as he got to the other boy, he would back out before he could.

Genjiro looked up as Yun spoke. He smiled, "I forgive you. It's not like you had a choice in the matter, you didn't plan to break my leg."

Anamiya glanced up sharply at that. He hadn't been expecting this, despite what Rin was trying to tell him. "I...you do?" he asked, stumbling over the words in his surprise.

"Uh huh," Genjiro nodded.

"Oh." Anamiya blinked, still surprised, then offered a hasty smile. "Thank you." Unable to take anymore, he quickly turned away. He was glad he had done this, and it hadn't been nearly as painful as he had thought it would be. He had almost made it to his seat when Aizawa called out to buckle out. He supposed they were about to have their next adventure.

* * *

"Welcome to the Unforeseen Simulation Joint, or more commonly known, USJ. I am Thirteen, your teacher, and this is Roundup, a sidekick from America."

Fuyuki tied her hair up into a ponytail, the burnt orange locks still appearing disheveled despite this. This place was huge. It had almost every disaster situation ever. Her bright orange eyes scanned the the simulations. Ruins, Landslide, Mountain, Conflagulation, Flood, and Downpour. She really wasn't sure how she could use her quirk in rescues in any of these situations, so she hoped the teachers would help out a bit.

"Howdy, ya'll," Roundup waved. "I'm Roundup, but you kids can call me Elvira!"

Sutoi glanced at her as soon as she began speaking and instantly gawked. The white shorts...how could they be so tiny? And though she was on the tiny side, her tanned legs seemed to go on for miles, even with her cowgirl boots. The buckskin crop top she was wearing left little to the imagination and when he caught his gaze lingering on her chest a little too long, he instantly flushed. Looking away quickly, he willed his blush to fade. What the hell was wrong with him? Just because she was so attractive, he had no right to stare at her like this. He knew better than acting like this.

"We have some people coming out to assist in this training session," Kito explained. "Aizawa, you want to assign everyone to areas to cover first?"

Aizawa scanned the students for a moment then nodded. "Rokuro Saito, Kinoshita, Seishin, Kōmori and Raiji: Downpour. Akio Saito, Ikeda, Hanko, Yun, Daitenshi: Conflagration. Eizen Saito, Shimizu, Katou, Crook, and Moto: Mountain. Tsukinose, Marseille, Rushaindo and Rakugaki: Landslide. Nakamaru, I want you on standby for injuries outside the Mountain and Landslide zones." He glanced at Rin as he spoke, knowing the boy was smart enough to pick up on what he wasn't saying.

"Now our guests," Kito jerked his head towards the door. "The Help Us Company has agreed to be your victims in need of rescuing."

Liam eyed the new group wryly. He wasn't sure what was about to happen, but he wasn't at all comfortable with this. Why did the HUC agree to this? An instant thought of "they must want something" came to his mind, but he forced himself to push it away. If the heroes trusted them, he would do it too.

Kito glanced at Thirteen who was welcoming the HUC members. "While they are setting up, Thirteen will be assisting those assigned to Landslide. Roundup will be assisting those assigned to Mountain. Aizawa will be assisting those assigned to Conflagration. I will be assisting those assigned to Downpour. Nakamaru will set up an emergency treatment center in the plaza. After this, everyone will gather in Ruins, because since we are in heavily populated areas, this is the most likely situation you will find yourself in."

Aizawa nodded, arms crossed. "I'm sure I don't need to remind you that while this is simulation based, it's still very real and it would be in your best interest to be careful." He let his gaze linger on each student as he spoke.

"Alright, follow your teacher to your designated areas," Kito finished. He didn't especially look forward to the downpour area, but it would be a good experience for those assigned there.

Akio was very aware that he would have thrived in either Downpour or Flooding, so he was glad he was placed everywhere. It would be a good way to test himself, though he wondered what exactly Conflagration was all about. He couldn't shake the feeling that it wouldn't turn out well for him, though he had no reason to believe that.

"See you!" Keoko called. "Come on Eizen! Mountain is going to be a total success!

Eizen released a breath, pushing back black hair from his face. He wasn't as certain as she was about it, but he appreciated her faith. At least someone had it.

* * *

Rokuro clenched his fists, trying not to explode. His spikey ash white hair had been flattened within seconds of walking in, and the wind whipped around heavily, nearly blowing him over, having been caught off guard. Rain splattered him in the face again and he clenched his teeth. Heroes had to work in environments that weren't always...fun.

Hanami was completely drenched already, red hair as soaked as her clothing. She liked the rain, she did, but not like this. Growling under her breath, she wiped at her face, trying to see a little bit better. Of course Rokuro Saito was with this group...she was certain they were being punished for the argument on the bus, but really, it was Saito's fault, not hers, so she didn't know why she was getting the consequences of him being a foul mouthed idiot.

Hikari would never admit to how nervous she was. Of all the places she had the chance of being assigned, it had to be in the middle of a storm. She knew it was illogical, and very pointless, to fear the lightning, but the rubber around her horns brought her some reassurance.

Kaede's hair clung to the sides of her head and she did her best to pull it out of her face. "Well, we can find my quirk to find the people who need rescuing," she shouted against the wind gusting around them.

Only able to hear half of what was said, it took Akari a moment to make sense of what the other girl said. She nodded, figuring there was no point in trying to reply. She really wished she hadn't gotten picked for this one, though she had no doubt the others weren't having fun either.

Kito nodded, hearing just enough of Kōmori's words to know to step away far enough she could use her quirk. "Go for it!" he yelled.

Kaede saw Kito's nod. Waiting until he was far enough away she let out the loudest scream she could muster. The area was huge. The gusts of wind, rumbling of thunder, and the occasional lightning strike made it seem very scary. She shivered. The rain didn't help either. Her cloak, once whipping in the wind, now clung to the back of her legs, dripping wet. Sounds bounced back to her and she called the others to come closer so they could hear. "I hear a few people out in the streets trying to get away! I think there are others locked up in their houses and cars! There's a shelter I think, because my waves are bouncing back pretty strong from that area! Only really secure walls will do that! We should get the civilians there so they are safe!"

"I'll go down to the streets," Akari shouted to be heard over the rain. She wouldn't be able to do because her Quirk was not one for rescue, but she was treating this just like real life and she refused to let anyone be injured.

Rokuro looked around as Kaede gave Akari the whereabouts of those on the streets. "I'll go with her," He yelled. "The idiots on the streets need to be reached first!"

"Civilians, not idiots," Hanami shot back, before grabbing Raiji by the arm. She didn't know what was ith the other girl, but she didn't seem nearly as composued as she usually did. It was weird. "Come on. We'll take the cars." Being trapped in your car with this weather was a little more dangerous than in your house.

"They are if they are out in this type of weather? Doesn't anyone watch weather?" Rokuro shouted back. He ran down the street, wondering if he would have to face situations exactly like this in real life.

Kaede looked around, "I'll start on the houses and escort people to the shelter!" She yelled at their retreating figures. Shaking water out of her ears, she ran down towards the first place with an open door.

Water was stinging her eyes even worse than before and Akari had to take a moment to wipe at them every other moment. Luckily they weren't far from the streets, so it didn't take much time for her and Saito to arrive. "Should we split up?" she called, not entirely sure if staying together or splitting up would be better.

"Split, we will find more people," Rokuro said. "This isn't the kind of situation a Villain would attack in."

Akari hoped he was right. "Alright, good luck," she called, before taking off down the street.

Rokuro grumbled a few words, before taking off in another direction. Blasted rain. He wondered how he was supposed to use his quirk to rescue people.

* * *

"Whoa that is one large mountain," Keoko stared up at the mounds of rock.

"Less talking and more rescuing!" Roundup called, kicking one foot behind her as she pointed up. "Can you see any of the civilians?"

Liam, always watchful, pointed in silence. He had seen them, too many to be certain as to the amount. He took a deep breath, released it. He really didn't care to be under close supervision.

"Alright, does anyone's quirk allow them to move freely?" Roundup asked, spurs jingling as she set her foot back down.

Eizen nodded, trying to ignore the way the wind tugged at his hair. He was glad he had it pulled back today. He knew they had at least one.

"Mm, remind me of your quirks," Roundup said smiling at him.

Eizen couldn't bring himself to return the smile. "Emotion manifestation," he said flatly. He realized that without Shimizu's enthusiasm and constant chatter to distract him as she was far more interested in their surroundings, he couldn't stop a familiar sense of melancholy from creeping back.

"Animation of inanimate things," Keoko grinned.

"Shadow skim," Liam muttered, not making eye contact with any of them. He hoped this wouldn't be used against him.

"Force absorption and projection," Genjiro replied eagerly.

"Smoke manipulation," Fuyuki replied once everyone had finished.

"Alright, so I think Crook can make it up there," Roundup decided. Suddenly her stretched out fingers morphed into ropes, curling around Saito, Shimizu, Katou, and Moto. "Alright everyone!" she whooped, suddenly shooting them up into the air up the mountain.

Liam instantly shifted to his other form, then began sliding up the mountain. He didn't know the area well enough to be comfortable doing this but he would rather being doing this then what the others were currently involved with.

Keoko screamed a quarter of the way up before her shrieks turned into laughter. "This is great!" she shouted at Eizen, who looked as if he didn't agree with her.

Eizen grunted, not liking this at one bit. He hoped they would have a better time going down than they would going up.

They were released on a wide ledge, the ropes curling around a large boulder and Roundup joined them a moment later.

 **Elvira Whittaker or Roundup! Quirk: Hemp! At any moment Elvira can turn her fingers into strong ropes! Using these ropes she can detain villains in an instant! She has to be careful though, and make sure she uses her special lotion so that they are fireproof and waterproof.**

"Alright, think this through on how you are going to rescue those people on the top," Roundup suggested.

"I can't use my quirk," Fuyuki shook her head. "But I bet the others can. I'll help lead people down to safety."

Eizen brushed his hair from his face again, trying to think over his growing weariness; it wasn't a physical one, but an emotional one. "Crook would be our best option."

"But we need someone like you in case a villain attacks, right?" Keoko glanced at him.

Eizen nodded, glancing at his hand briefly. His fingers curled into his palm. "I'll be on villian watch."

"I'll stay here with Fuyuki," Genjiro said. "My quirk wouldn't be too helpful."

"Alright, Crook will make it to the top and we'll be right behind him," Keoko opened her jacket so she would be ready.

Liam wasn't sure if he really believed that or not, but he nodded his agreement anyway, then shifted once again to his shadow form. This time, he went faster, though not by much. He didn't care for the idea of falling from a place this high.

Keoko followed, making her way up the craggy cliff. It would be harder getting everyone down from here.

* * *

Yukiko stared at the building in front of her. For the longest she was trying to remember the exact meaning of Conflagration. There was no doubt about it. Her quirk would be absolutely useless in here. There was no moisture in air surrounded constantly by flames. Well at least she didn't have to worry about hurting someone. This class was dedicated solely to rescue.

"Remember, rescue is your main goal here," Aizawa said, eyeing each of his charges as he spoke. He wasn't sure how well this would go, but it would definitely give them a taste of the world as Pro-Heroes. However, he would have to carefully watch over Akio Saito; he wouldn't hesitate in keeping the boy back if the heat got to him. He wasn't sure if it would or not, as this was the first Saito he had placed here, but it couldn't hurt to be cautious.

Sutoi took a deep breath; he knew his Quirk wouldn't do much, but that didn't matter. He wouldn't always find a situation that worked with what he could do. "Alright. Let's do this. Maybe we should split up. We can get to more people that way."

Drying out was something he didn't want to do. Grabbing a water bottle, Haruto poured half of its contents over his head. His quirk wouldn't lesson, but he got slower the longer he was exposed to extreme heat.

Akio was more unasy than he wanted to admit to. Surely he could keep it all under control and deal with the heat. He had his water bottle and as long as he was careful...he would be fine. If he wasn't...well...it didn't matter as long as he got people rescued.

Yun stared up at the buildings, eyes wide against a pale face. He couldn't mess up, not again. He had to do better. He couldn't let his teammates down.

"So what do we do? Split up? Divide and conquer?" Sutoi asked, figuring that sounded as good as anything did. "Then get everyone out here to safety?"

"We should get everyone out," Yukiko agreed. "Dividing is probably best."

Watching and listening, Aizawa nodded his approval at the decision.

"Good luck everyone," Sutoi said, flashing a smile. "Be careful and see you soon." With those words, he took off, rolling up his sleeves as he ran.

* * *

"Oh some of your arrows are totally different from mine yet so much alike," Reine rattled, darting from one side of Yajima Rushaindo to the other. "Like your gas arrow. I have a tranquilizer arrow and a smoke arrow which is like a combination to make your sleeping gas arrow. So cool! Wow I wonder what it would be like if more of our arrows combined? Like my electricity arrow and your explosion arrow. Exploding lightning, just think about it. Epic or what? Ooh what a cool quiver. I don't have one but if I did I'm sure it would be as useful. It divides your arrows up. What happens if you run out of arrows? I never run out, though sometimes I really need say a grappler arrow and I get a multiplier so I guess it would be nice being able to pick each time. Though if I'm high enough I do get to pick each time so that is a bonus. Hopefully I'll be pretty high up on the landslide for my Lucky Spin to work. Grappler arrows would definitely be needed I think. I want to be a good luck hero, one that can be counted on."

"You know," Yajima smiled, soaking in all the attention even if it wasn't really centered on him at all, but rather on his weapons. "We should get together, trying a shooting match."

"Oh my goodness I would love to spar against you," Reine clapped her hands together, totally oblivious to his flirtations. "We could both strengthen our quirks this way! What a great suggestion. I'm sure I would love this. Plus I want to see all of your arrows in action. I've only seen a few. Oh you have to see all of my arrows. It's rare I get to use all of them and you should definitely see all of them."

"Definitely, then we could go out have some dinner afterwards, maybe see a few sights," Yajima suggested, totally oblivious to the fact that she wasn't flirting back.

"Huh why would we do that?" Reine stared at him, puzzled. "Oh you mean everyone? That would be so cool! Like a group class trip except we wouldn't need chaperones and it would be so fun. Let's invite everyone to a great big concert and go somewhere fancy to eat! It will be so fun!"

Yajima's face fell ever so slightly. "That wasn't what I meant," he muttered, suddenly losing interest in the conversation. He wasn't a quitter, however this girl seemed to naive to get anything he was saying so far. It was a shame really for someone with such beauty to waste it all thinking about arrows.

"Are you two done?" Kaori asked, eyebrow raised as she looked between them. Neither of them were focused, which bothered her as she seemed to be the only one taking this seriously. She released a soft breath. That was fine. She would do what she had to; she already had three plans in place for what they were going to probably face. Failure was not an option.

"Landslide means it will be really rough and not steady. Using my quirk to pop in and out could make things worse?" Hinata asked, looking at Thirteen.

"Yes, it is wise to remain cautious, the Landslide is an unpredictable area. Debris shifts constantly and if you aren't careful you will bury the people in need of rescuing instead of getting them out," Thirteen pointed out.

Deciding that was answer enough, Kaori turned her gaze from Marseille and Rushaindo and to Thriteen, listening carefully. She had already figured that out, but it was nice to have her findings validated.

"Oh so I would need a really for sure solid area to place my grappling arrows," Reine jumped from Yajima's conversation over to the one with Thirteen. "So my quirk in this situation won't be of much use unless I spin or pick a grappler in a secure area."

"That is correct, always examine your surroundings to make sure they are secure before you use them to rescue the victims," Thirteen nodded. "You have to be aware and not move boards, rocks, or beams that could cause a further catastrophe. Only Tsukinose has a quirk that might be fitted to this type, though Rushaindo's quirk will allow you to know where each victim is."

Marseille might be painfully naive, and more than somewhat oblivious, but at least she had a firm understanding of her Quirk and what she was and wasn't able to do with it. Kaori had to give her credit there. Nodding along as Thirteen spoke, she wasn't surprised to see the Pro Hero talk of the first plan she had come up with. This one had the most likely chance to succeed.

"Rushaindo, would you tell us where each victim is?" Thirteen requested.

"Sure thing, ladies," Yajima adjusted his sunglasses, leaning back a little as he examined the landslide. "There are six scattered around the top where it looks like there are the remains of a skyscraper. Two at the bottom near a vehicle, and two near the middle holding onto a rope."

"Is that all of them?" Kaori asked, quickly figuring out which needed to be dealt with first and who would work the best in each location. They had to make the right decisions and take the right steps in order for this to work the way she intended it to. Success was a constant she thrived for.

"Yes," Yajima replied. "But you can't see everyone from each point."

"Before you jump in, Tsukinose," Thirteen warmed. "Remember you switch one person for yourself. There is a person's weight and build to consider. If a person is trapped under a wall, you could be crushed if you switched, because you weren't as big as the person stuck previously."

Kaori looked over at the Pro Hero, her eyebrow raised as she reached up, quickly tying back her black hair. Of course she had considered everything Thirteen had said; she had done so before Marseille had began to engage Rushaindo in conversation. Her Quirk might be powerful, but her mind as by far her best weapon. "I am aware," she said finally.

"Good," Thirteen nodded. "Well, now is the perfect time to Begin."

* * *

 **Hey everyone! Thanks for reading again! Unfortunately for some of you we aren't doing a Villain attack at the USJ because we actually wanted to explore the training exercises that could be performed there. Way to many cool simulations to let that pass by again! We've put students in simulations that aren't exactly suited for their quirks to stretch them *waves arms* character development.**

 **Totally forgot in chapter 11 to announce a squad name...the second member may not be apparent yet but we are working on it.**

 **THE SUNSHINE, RAINBOWS, AND CRIPPLING DEPRESSION SQUAD!**

 **Membership: Keoko Shimizu, Akari Seishin, Akio Saito, and Eizen Saito.**

 **Thank you guys again for the scenes! We really look forward to writing them! Plus it gives us insight on what you want to read! Otherwise we are clueless *shrugs helplessly* and we just wing it and you guys don't want us to wing it...trust us...**


	14. Chapter 13

_Reviews with Alumni and Loki:_

 _gold crown dragon ~ Maybe *shrugs*_

 _SSJ3 Godtanks ~ We like that squad as well! Thanks for sharing your thoughts and we hope you continue to like the story!_

 _LifeisBeautiful ~ Thanks for the ideas! Genjiro is a sweetheart! Lol!_

 _61394 ~ Yes we can acknowledge the rescue training! Haha! That French Girl and Bow and Arrow Daredevil was great lol!_

 _Supreme Kai of Booty ~ Their quirks were definitely tested in these simulations! Hope you enjoy what happens next!_

 _Butterfly Chickage ~ We are glad you are liking her more! Oh and Rin works at a sort of Gardens for the public. Yes, Hikari is super popular! We also think she's adorable in her own way. We too love all the friendships! Lol we could see that too! These three boys are really sweet, you'll see their squad name at the end :D Roundup is totally the new R18 Hero! Sutoi is a fine guy. Your question about Liam is somewhat addressed so we look forward to hearing your thoughts on it. Maybe she is looking after him ;) Liam does have quite the journey ahead of him. Well its a bit of a conundrum concerning Fuyuki's Quirk, you'll see more in later chapters! You have your answer about Akio in this chapter as well! They did their best...they could have done better...they could have done worse. Lol! Reine and Yajima was our favorite part to write! Thank you so much, we are glad you enjoy it!_

 _Starblitz1312 ~ Yeah they will make a nice slow burn indeed! Those two scenes were so sweet and adorable! We are really glad you like this and your answers will be answered someday!_

 _Ajiwin11 ~ We are so glad everyone seems to like our decision about no villain attacks happening! They do have a bit of conflict. What conspiracy theories? Thank you for the compliment!_

 _Artesys ~ Never take a break from ships :D Genjiro is definitely a sweetheart! We hope you like what happens in this arc!_

 _Firealis ~ We are glad you enjoy this and we hope you continue to do so!_

* * *

"Forget your damn earrings and follow me to the shelter!"

Rokuro cursed as the wailing toddler kicked him in the face, having turned almost upside down in his arms. He struggled to see through the downpour of water and hold the fit throwing toddler while the woman searched the gutters for her diamond earring.

Smirking as she saw this amazing display, Hanami pushed back her soaked red hair then turned to the elderly woman she was helping. "Right this way ma'am," she said pleasantly before yelling at Saito. "Seishin and I have the cars cleared now." The other girl was double checking but Hanami wasn't worried. They had been nothing but thorough. She glanced over her shoulder, seeing Hikari helping with two children. She caught the other girl flinching at a sudden flash of lightning. Not entirely sure what this was about but decided to address it later. There was a time and place for everything.

"Good job, bonus points," the old woman shouted over the rain.

"Negative points," the young woman screamed at Rokuro over the downpour. "You couldn't have phrased that better!"

"Dammit, you need to get your kid out of the rain!" Rokuro cursed as the toddler kicked him in the chin.

Shaking her head at Rokuro Saito, Hanami focused instead on the old woman and making sure she got to safety.

Pretty sure she's never been more soaked in her life, Akari ran down the street, slipping and sliding on the wet pavement. "Cars are officially clear!"

"I've checked nearly all the buildings," Kaede shouted. "There's two people in one nearby, who's free to handle that?" She walked over to Rokuro, taking the toddler from him and soothing it. "Go help the others, I'll get these two to safety."

Akari was nodding even before the other girl finished speaking. "I'll take care of it," she shouted back, waiting to see where the location was before jogging, or as much as she could, in that direction.

Rokuro grumbled something about being able to handle the snot nosed brat but didn't resist to let Kaede take them.

"Who else do we have?" Hanami called, wiping at her eyes as she turned back to the group after she had succeed in getting her charge to safety.

"I've checked nearly every place," Kaede held her elbow above the baby. "Those two should be the last."

Hanami nodded, wiping at her face again. "Alright. Good job team," she said, sure that Seishin could handle it; the other girl seemed more than capable. Saito, maybe not so much, but Seishin would be fine.

Rokuro ran up the stairs, ignoring the way the building shook with the wind and rain hurling against it. Where were they dammit? Why were they up here?

"We need to split up," Akari calle when she spotted him. "We can meet back here in fifteen." It would save them time and let them cover more ground.

"Alright," Rokuro sighed. "You take that hallway and I'll take this one."

Akari nodded, darting that way. She wasn't worried. They would find them somewhere in here.

Rokuro charged up the stairs, taking them two at a time. Why was finding two people so damn hard?

"Hello," Akari called, looking in every area that she passed as she went down the hallway. "Hello? Is anyone here?" A noise further down the hallway drew her attention and she darted in the direction, coming to a stop when she found an elderly couple. There they were. She was glad she had found them; Rokuro Saito would have traumatized them in some sort of way more than likely. "Ma'am, sir, you need to leave."

The man shook his head stubbornly, holding his wife by the arm. "We're not leaving. We've been here for forty-five years."

Understanding flashed in Akari's pink eyes at his words. The duo reminded her her of her grandparents; she was sure that they would be doing the exact same thing if they were in this position. "It's dangerous if you stay," she said gently. "Think of yourselves, your family. Do you have children? Grandchildren? Don't put yourselves in a situation that could hurt them."

The elderly couple shared a look with each other then nodded. "Bonus points," the woman said, looking back at Akari.

Not acknowledging the words, treating the situation just like she would do if it was real, Akari went to the woman's other side. "Right this way," she encouraged, figuring she would get them to the safe zone then come back for Rokuro Saito. Besides being completely soaked and the hostility between Kinoshita and Saito, this was turning out to be fun. She wondered how the others were doing.

* * *

There had to be some way of communicating better, but Liam had no idea what it could be. They were doing the best they could, he guessed. As he passed a girl to Moto, he took a moment. He was getting weary but he didn't have time for more then a quick rest. "Shimizu is on her way down with someone," he muttered, unable to be anything but uncomfortable. Being so close to people made him nervous; people made him nervous. He never knew what they wanted from him. Shaking his head to try and get some of his black hair from his face, the wind was tossing it wildly this way and that, he turned away, slipping back into his shadow form and moving to the top again.

"Alright," Fuyuki said, biting her lip as she took the little girl. "I think Eizen Saito is on his way up."

"You should express more encouraging and have a better rescue plan thought out," the small teenager said. "You aren't helping the victims you are only making them more worried."

Eizen's arms were trembling slightly by the time he pulled himself to the top of the mountain again, but he ignored them. He had lost count of how many times he had been up and down already. Looking around once he was solid ground again, he found a young woman, who seemed to be injured. He jogged over to her, accessing her apparent shoulder leg. He had been forced to patch up Shigure on a few occasions so he knew basic first aid; not enough to do anything other than giving the injured person more time to get to someone with better experience. Shaking his head, he tore off her shirt and wrapped it clumsily around the wound. "You'll be fine," he said softly, feeling as if he should say something as he picked her up. He wasn't sure how many people were left, but they were making progress.

"You need to have a more encouraging tone in your voice, you don't sound convinced," the woman said.

Eizen shrugged, not entirely sure what to tell her as it was hard to express anything other than melancholy for him. He needed to work on his social skills, he supposed. He shifted her slightly, so she was on his back, then once he was sure she was secure, began climbing slowly down. He nodded as Keoko passed him to go back to the top.

"I'm sure we'll get your leg all bandaged up down there," Keoko chatted lightly to the boy as she reached him, pulling him into her arms. "You are very brave and strong. I know the doctor down there and he will fix you up right away."

"Bonus points," the boy said brightly. "You're very reassuring and you're bringing the victim comfort during this distressing time."

"Aw you're so sweet," Keoko smiled brightly. "I wish I had some candy to give you."

"You would get even more bonus points for that," the boy said with a wicked grin.

"Oh well," Keoko grinned back. "I guess Nakamaru gets those. I saw him round candies in every pocket he had on the bus."

"I bet my brother's with him," the boy said with a sigh then his eyes widened. "Whoops, sorry, I forgot myself here." He cleared his throat, tightening his grip around her and releasing a panicked cry. "I want my mom!"

"It'll be okay," Keoko assured him. "You'll see your mom soon! We have to get off this big mountain first and put a band aid on your knee."

The boy made an exaggerated sniffled, pressing his face into her shoulder as he clung to her.

"You are doing such a great job," Keoko smiled. "Keep it up, we are almost there!"

Sniffing again, the boy nodded shakily. "I just want my mom," he sobbed.

"You'll see your mom soon!" Keoko said cheerfully.

"A-alright," he whispered, trembling as if he was terrified.

"Keep being a brave boy," Keoko said. "You are doing such a great job."

"I-I'm trying," the boy said softly, tightening his grip on her again. "My knee's really hurting."

"You are doing great," Keoko said. "I know it hurts, but we'll be down soon!"

"Okay," he murmured, throwing a whimper in after his words.

Keoko smiled encouragingly. She nodded at Genjiro, who was huffing and puffing, but heading up the mountain at a good pace. He had carried down the most by far.

"Thank you," the boy said with a large sigh, sniffing again.

"Crook?" Genjiro asked. "Crook where are you?" He couldn't find the other boy, and was beginning to wonder if everyone had been taken down without his knowledge.

"I'm right here," Liam said softly, appearing behind the other boy. His arms crossed, he kept his distance. "We're down to two. Eizen Saito has one of them; the girl...Moto, has the other."

"Oh!" Genjiro jumped at the sudden appearance of Crook. "Well that's good news. Are you sure we have everyone?"

Liam nodded, expression bordering along a grimace. "I checked," he said simply.

"Thanks!" Genjiro grinned brightly. "Mission complete!" He jumped up, punching the air. "Great job everyone," he looked around, but Crook was the only one there. "Let's go see the others," he said excited, taking off down the mountain side again.

Liam stared at him, frowning a little. Why was he so...cheerful? He really had no right to be. Somewhat puzzled, he followed, making sure he stayed a safe distance away. He couldn't get too close.

Genjiro glanced back. Geez, Crook was so scowly. It made him seem a little bit scary. Were all Americans so scary? Roundup seemed scary in her own kind of way. Maybe it was just the Americans that came to Japan.

* * *

Ikeda stumbled back as flames devoured the staircase she had been trying to ascend. "This way is blocked too!" she shouted. She cursed the lack of moisture, the fire that had devoured it. It would be no problem to use her quirk to freeze the flames as long as there was water in the air.

Sweat clinging to his blond hair, Sutoi nodded, turning quickly back around. "Let me try over here," he called, relief quickly filling him when he saw another staircase. The fire hadn't gotten here yet. "This way!"

Hanko drew in a shallow breath as he held his wet shirt over his mouth. While outside the air was a bit clearer, smoke clogged the pathways in the building. He wished they had one of those others who could figure out where people were with their quirks. It would make things a bit faster. But so would villains to fight.

They had managed to get three out already, but that was it. Considering he had lost track of how long they had been here, Anamiya wasn't sure if they were doing much good or not. But they kept going and as long as they managed to get everyone out, they were doing good, he reasoned. He glanced over his shoulder, finding Akio Saito behind him. He was quiet, more so than he usually was, and he seemed pale in the firelight. The heat had to be bothering him, just as Anamiya was sure it was it was Ikeda and Hanko as well. He wished he could help them, but his hands were tied.

"I think we need to split up," Sutoi said, glancing towards Ikeda. They weren't doing much good this way. "I'll go up and work my way down."

"Alright," Yukiko said, wiping sweat off her brow. Damn the fire.

Nodding, Suoti took off, hoping this plan would work. Wiping his eyes that were stinging from the smoke, which was far too realistic for his taste, he started working his way up to the top level of the building.

Haruto turned, following Ikeda out of the building. He could barely hear Aizawa's words of advice over the crackling.

Akio made a move to follow them, but his step instantly became a stumble. He would have fallen if Yun's quick hand didn't latch onto his arm. For a moment, his vision swarmed and he was sure that even with Yun's support, he would go down. But eventually it corrected itself and he straightened, managing a croaked "Thanks."

Anamiya let go, but his expression was full of concern as he watched Akio start walking again. He didn't know what to do.

Yukiko stepped out, coughing a little. She had gotten rid of the coat part of her costume long before they had started, but still the heat was getting to her. She had to finish. This was what she wanted, to save people.

Panting by the time he reached the top floor, Sutoi took a moment to catch his breath, before he began calling out. "Anyone here?" He made sure his voice came out as loud as possible, knowing that the crackle of flames might make him hard to hear. "Anyone here?" he called again, inhaling sharply as something fell. Damn. It might not be real but everything sure felt like it was.

"Help us!" A voice called through the haze of smoke.

Wishing he could see better, Sutoi followed the sound of the voice. "I'm coming! Just hold on." After several moments of blindly stumbling through the smoke, he found a woman, and her small child. "Are you alright?" he gasped.

"Help us!" She gasped, coughing and trying to shield her child. Fire roared as a beam crashed to the floor, blocking the escape path.

Sutoi knelt down beside the two, opening his arms out wide for her to put her child in them. "I've got you," he said soothingly. He was quickly realizing he really only had one option as he couldn't well take them down all the stairs. He hoped this would work. "Climb onto my back alright? I can get you out; just trust me."

"It's alright honey," the woman soothed.

Crying, the small child wrapped its arms around Sutoi's neck, burying its hot dirty face into his shirt.

"There we go," Sutoi said softly, wrapping his arms tightly around the child. It was a bit awkward, as his arms were somewhat longer than a normal individual, but he made it work. He waited for the feel of the woman's arms around his shoulders, then very carefully he stood. The weight was sudden and it took him a moment to get used to it, then once he did, he carefully started walking to one of the windows. Flinching as something else came down from the ceiling and landed heavily on the floor, he slammed his elbow straight through the window glass. Wincing as the pieces cut through his shirt and skin, he got enough out the way so he was able to step up and rest on the windowsill, taloned feet gripping it tightly. "Are you holding on?" he asked the woman, knowing the boy wouldn't be moving. He was scared somewhat, as he had never done anything like this before, but he refused to show anything but utter confidence.

"Yes," the woman whimpered, protecting her child.

Taking a deep breath, Sutoi closed his eyes for a moment, remembering the feel of the wind against his skin, the sensation of being in the air, then after that moment, he opened them again, grinning as he saw the hardlight wings that had appeared. He was getting good at this. "Keep holding on tight," he advised, then clutching the child, he jumped, just as the floor's fires grew.

Yukiko caught something out of the corner of her eye. Sutoi, she decided, turning back to look before stumbling into a building. There an old couple were struggling down the stairs. Rushing over, she helped the old woman balance as she almost fell against the rail.

Carefully putting the child down, and congratulating himself for not breaking her, Anamiya turned, going back towards the buildings. They had cleared half, and Yukiko had gone into that one over ...so he needed to go into that one, he decided, figuring that would be his best best.

Haruto felt his breath stick to his damp shirt around his mouth as he pulled a man out from a beam that he held up with one arm. Carrying the man under one arm he bolted out of the collapsing building.

Akio placed the woman gently down, then turned back to the buildings. He managed a few steps, then immediately fell to his knees. He had never been so dizzy in his life. "Hanko," he called to the nearest member of his team, his voice cracking. Hs mouth was dry; he needed to get to his water bottle. Did he have anything left in it? He couldn't really remember. "I can't go back inside." He could feel sweat beading along his forehead, rolling down his temples, but he was chilled.

"Alright," Haruto nodded, leaving his charge beside the one Akio had just carried out. "I'll tell the others if I see them."

"Here," Rin held out a water bottle. "You should drink up. I think you have major symptoms of dehydration."

Water...water...water...Akio's mind latched onto the word as he stared at the liquid that was perhaps the most beautiful thing he had ever seen before. He tried to straighten, tried to move, do something really so he could take that bottle, but another wave of dizziness had him toppling towards the ground. Something caught him before he could completely fall, and it took him several painfully long moments to figure out it was a hand and that hand was Aizawa's. He blinked sluggishly, trying to understand.

"Are you with us, Saito?" Aizawa asked quietly, frowning slightly as he studied the boy. Akio's eyes were dull, and seemed to be struggling to focus on any particular thing.

"I don't know," Akio murmured finally, wishing he did. He really didn't like the heat. "I...I don't do well...when's there's no water...when it's hot.."

Aizawa sighed softly, not releasing his hold yet. That answer wasn't the one he wanted but it said everything. "You should have said you don't do well in the heat. Next time, don't hesitate in speaking up." He paused. "But good job in understanding your limitations and not pushing yourself to far."

Grunting, Akio wiped sweat away from his face. "Sometimes...I'll have to...go into situations like this. I can't...always stay away from...the heat." Certain that he could handle the dizziness better now, he straightened slowly. Water...he needed to get some. That would help.

Watching him carefully, Aizawa shook his head. The problem with the Saito family, he discovered, was just how selfless they could be; heroes should be compassionate, yet dealing with Akio, as well as his other four siblings, he wondered if perhaps there could be too much of a good thing. Knowing he needed to check on his other students but not comfortable with leaving Nakamaru to handle Akio by himself right now, Aizawa waited, wondering if he would be able to get his bearings or not.

Feeling somewhat nauseated now, Akio squeezed his eyes shut, taking as deep of a breath as he could. Sudden heaviness settled over him and he wondered absently why he was tired like this. "Water," he decided, knowing that would make everything better.

"Finished," Yukiko said quietly, laying down the semi-conscious child.

Aizawa nodded his approval. "How are you and Hanko?" He wasn't worried about Yun or Saitenshi, but the other two had to be bothered by the heat.

"Hot," Yukiko wiped her forehead, looking even paler than usual. "But we got everyone out.

"Sit," Aizawa instructed, looking up and searching for Hanko. He saw Yun, looking uncertain about what to do with himself, not far away. His attention was diverted from his search as Akio Saito promptly puked. Sighing, brows knitted together, he shook his head and turned to Nakamaru. "I need to find Hanko. Do you have these two handled for now?"

"Yeah," Rin nodded, rubbing Akio Saito's back. "I'm fine with them, no worries."

Despite what he let others presume, Aizawa did worry, especially about his , he nodded, and stood. "You did good, Ikeda," he said, not bothering to tell Akio right then. He doubted he would remember the conversation. Turning away, he went to find Hanko.

* * *

She had advised them on the best course of action, following up with additional plans that would be second and third respectively, but they hadn't listened. Shaking her head, Kaori brushed off her pants, then straightened, picking up the child she had just gotten free. They could have had this done in half the time, but it was too late now. She really didn't like relying on others. "You're alright," she said soothingly, because she felt like the words would be appreciated. She didn't know why, but from what she had seen of others, they appreciated that kind of gesture. For some reason.

"It's alright Mister, we'll have you out in no time," Hinata said cheerfully. She glanced around, wondering if any of the others were available to help her get this man out.

Sighing softly as she heard Rakugaki's words, Kaori quickly changed her plans. She really hated to do that but the best plans are always adaptable. Picking her way through rocks, holding the girl close, she found Rakugaki a moment later. "What's the issue?"

"I can't figure out how to get him out," Hinata blinked.

"You lose points for being disheartening in front of a victim," the man grumbled.

"Here." Kaori passed the girl to Hinata then crouched down beside the man. Her eyes were quick as she quickly glanced him over. "Are you hurt?" she asked, not sure if perhaps she wasn't able to see anything. There were always variables.

"I don't know, I'm stuck," the man said irritably.

"Alright," Kaori said, willing herself to be patient. "We're going to get you out but I need you to trust us."

"Alright," the man replied begrudgingly.

"Thank you, sir," Kaori said, forcing every ounce of patience she could into her voice. He was being ridiculous. She turned to Rakugaki. "I'm going to need you to move fast if he's hurt."

"Alright," Hinata nodded, shooting the man a grin.

"You know you could be a bit more cheerful," the man said. "Or I may take away points. A hero is supposed to be positive."

"This situation is realistic," Kaori said flatly, not at all intimidated by his warning. "There's nothing positive about possible death." Fixing her ponytail, she eyed him for a moment and in the second that followed, she had switched their positions. She didn't stay in his, switching again. This time it was with a small rock several feet away.

Hinata caught the man, balancing him with ease. "I'll take him down if that's okay with you."

"Points taken for being negative," the man replied grumpily.

Kaori waved a hand, taking the child from Rakugaki. "Be my guest," she said, ignoring the man. Really, did people not understand that positivity didn't help when you were possibly bleeding to death? It would be a waste of time to try to find some reassuring words; time in which they could be getting saved. She shook her head. They wouldn't understand, unless they or a loved one was trapped, with seconds against them.

"Don't you worry!" Reine called encouragingly to a little girl she was carrying down the landslide. "I think you are pretty cool! You stayed calm and everything! Ooh is purple your favorite color? Mine too! Ooh I like ponies! Especially white ones with braided manes and tails! What's your favorite pony?"

Hinata sighed, Marseille was doing such a great job encouraging each victim. She wondered how the girl would do with the grumpy man. "Alright sir, let's get you down to the hospital."

Picking her way through the rocks more, Kaori murmured words of encouragement. The words didn't make much sense overall to her, but she supposed that it didn't matter. Fear, panic, and unease were pointless emotions yet she understood that the girl was too young for her to realize that now.

"Don't worry, I am here to save you from this great peril!" Yajima called dramatically to the young woman, kissing her hand as he pulled her from the rubble, cradling her in his arms.

Rolling her eyes as she caught his words, he was such a dramatic ass, Kaori ignored him, focusing on the girl in her arms.

"That is everyone," Yajima called to everyone. "We have saved everyone from this vile landslide!"

Sighing softly, Kaori let the girl go, then rocked back on her heels. Very rarely was she surprised, but this time she had been. Somehow, they had done it, though it would have gone much easier if she had actually been listened to in the first place.

"Yay! Go everyone!" Reine called, before returning to her conversations with the people she had rescued.

Relieved to be done, Kaori watched from a distance, wondering what their next path of action was. She was more than ready to move on.

* * *

"Well that was eventful," Kito said, climbing back into the bus. "We'll have to try the other sites another day. These kids had a lot to learn. I think it was good for them to hear a victim's perspective, but a few of them know what its like, from the look in their eyes." other sites another time. Those kids needed that. I think it did them good to hear the victim's perspective, though there were a few who knew already. You could see it in their eyes."

Aizawa nodded, looking briefly out the window. "Then there were some that still need some additional help in that area." From what he had heard,his first thought was Tsukinose. But, he supposed that if they could get Bakugou to develop some people skills, even though it was just somewhat, they could help Tsukinose too.

"Indeed," Kito smirked after a moment. "Were you agreeing with me, Aizawa?"

"I said it first so I think you're agreeing with me," Aizawa said dryly. Kito was always an interesting one to deal with but he had been since school so by now, Aizawa had figure out the art of handling him.

"Whatever you need to tell yourself, Aizawa," Kito chuckled, strapping his seatbelt on.

* * *

Anamiya was almost asleep when they got back. "I guess we're here?" he murmured, running a hand across his face.

"Yep, just turning in," Rin said, rubbing his eyes. He too had fallen asleep until a bump in the road had jolted him awake. After using his own energy for so long, a nap had been needed.

"You alright?" Anamiya asked softly. Even in the darkness, he could see the other boy's pale face, though it wasn't as bad as before.

"Yeah, but I'm gonna crash when we get back to the dorms," Rin yawned.

As they rolled to a stop, Anamiya stood then stretched. "How do you think we all did?"

"Won't know until tomorrow," Rin sounded disappointed. "But, I mean I hope we did well...but

this was our first time rescuing people."

Anamiya fidgeted slightly. He wasn't really sure if he wanted to actually know or not. "I suppose

so," he murmured. He was just glad they were done with the whole thing.

"Yeah." Rin Bit his lip thinking about the points he had lost.

He was pretty sure he had done horrible but deciding he didn't want to think about it tonight,

Anamiya grabbed his bag. He was more than ready to go.

Rin slid his bag over his shoulders, jumping out of the bus.

Anamiya followed, only to stop suddenly as Aizawa and Kito appeared in front of him.

"Yun," Aizawa said, nodding his head slightly. "A word."

Rin glanced at Yun, then back at the teachers. "I'll wait for you," he said.

"A-alright," Anamiya murmured, trying not to panic. What had he done wrong? He couldn't remember anything that would warrant this conversation but why else would they want to talk to him like this? He stared at the ground, his heart beating wildly.

"Yun," Aizawa said after Nakamaru had stepped away. "Relax. There's just something Kito and I wanted to discuss with you."

Kito slid down, sitting with his back against the bus. "Nothing wrong Yun."

Anamiya's eyes flickered towards Kito at those words. If nothing was wrong, then why were they wanting to talk to him? He didn't understand.

Aizawa sighed as he saw the panicked look on Yun's face that was still there. "You hold yourself back a lot," he said, deciding this just needed to be addressed. "Rather you're using your Quirk or not. I noticed it especially today."

"We want to work with you, build your confidence," Kito said. "What after school hours are available?"

"What?" Anamiya's eyes widened and he looked between his teachers. They wanted to do that?

"Your quirk is volatile," Kito looked up at Yun. "I think a little training can fix that."

"You do?" His mouth dry, Anamiya swallowed hard as he looked down at his feet again. "I didn't

think it could really be fixed like that. I mean I would like to have some control over it but I'm

always afraid something will happen..."He felt his face grow steadily warmer the longer he spoke. He really didn't do well with being put on the spot like this.

"Yun," Aizawa cut in. "With Kito and I there, you won't have anything to worry about."

"You need another fighting strategy as well," Kito said. "I'll be in charge of that, Aizawa will oversee quirk training."

Aizawa nodded. "We'll start with a couple hours a day then go from there."

Still trying to really understand this, Anamiya nodded, looking up again and slowly glancing between his teachers. Someone, once again, was taking a chance on him and he didn't know what to think.

"Just let us know what hours work with your schedule," Kito said.

"I will," Anamiya said faintly. Was this really happening? He didn't understand.

Kito nodded, standing up as his phone rang. Glancing down at the number, he sighed. "I've got to go," he said, turning to leave.

"Thank you Mr. Kito, Mr. Aizawa," Yun murmured, feeling as if the words weren't enough. He thought he might have seen a ghost of a smile from Aizawa but his teacher was gone before hecould be sure.

* * *

As soon as the bus stopped, Liam was off and making sure he put enough distance between him and his classmates as possible. It had been a long day and he was tired of people in general. Having to rely on others, at least to a certain extent, was always exhausting to him. Having Roundup around didn't help things either. He scowled at the thought. He knew she knew him; he could see it every time she looked over at him. Damn it. He would never escape. Making a note of Yun, Kito, and Aizawa, and deciding he really didn't want to know what that was about, he adjusted his bag over his shoulder.

"Hey kid," Roundup leaned against the bus, having ridden back with Thirteen. "What's up?"

Liam instantly stopped, wariness creeping into his brown eyes. "Heading back to the dorms," he said quietly, seeing no reason why it would be any of her business because it wasn't.

"Right," Roundup nodded. "Makes sense, you kids worked hard today."

"Mhm," Liam agreed, though he really wasn't interested in continuing this conversation. Could he simply leave?

"It's good to know the Crook kids are redeeming the family name so to speak," Roundup said seriously. "I'm proud of you."

At that, Liam instantly stiffened, expression shifting into one of pure defense. "My parents aren't like that anymore," he muttered. Why was she proud of him? She didn't know him.

"I know, it's really great to see how your whole family has moved on," Roundup replied. "I encourage you to continue down the path you are on now. You'll never regret it."

Liam wasn't surprised often, but he was in this moment. "Do you mean it?" he asked finally. He never got a positive response concerning his parents.

"Yes," Roundup nodded.

"Thank you," Liam said finally, not entirely sure what else to say. He glanced at her again as he spoke, wondering if perhaps he had actually misjudged her.

* * *

"Ugh," Hinata groaned laying her head on the lunchroom table. "It's a good thing those rescue grades don't count toward the semester final grade." Even though when Aizawa had passed out the grades and explained that this was a learning experience and that they would be covering more details soon, she still couldn't get over the final grade.

"I'm sure you didn't do as bad as you're thinking," Sutoi said around a mouthful of food. Hinata didn't move her head, simply raising her grades sheet with the grade written at the top.

Sutoi grimaced in sympathy. "It could be worse," he offered. Overall, he thought she had done

well. Apparently, Rokuro Saito got lots of points docked for his negative comments.

"Yeah," Fuyuki said, sitting down next to Hinata. She slid a soda over. "Rokuro Saito got way worse."

Sutoi nodded, taking another bite of food. "Don't feel bad about it."

"I'll try," Hinata groaned, pushing herself up and taking the soda.

"Easier said than done," Sutoi agreed, taking a moment to look at his hands. They had gotten pretty torn up during his window stunt and while Rin had offered to heal them, he had declined. A little pain always did wonders.

"Exactly," Hinata said, twisting the cap open. "Wait what just dropped in my soda..." she was caught off guard as a geyser of soda sprayed her in the face. Stunned, Hinata wipes her face off, staring at Fuyuki. She quickly shook her head, carefully opening her own soda and catching the white circle that almost fell in.

"Mentos," Fuyuki said, looking around.

Hinata joined her, deciding that Fuyuki wouldn't prank herself.

Sutoi stared, eyes widening with surprise. "Who would have done that?"

"Them," Hinata lowered her voice. She had narrowed down her search to the two boys, sitting across the lunchroom, laughing amounts themselves. "Come on guys, let's go talk to them about this."

Sutoi had no idea how he had gotten included in this but he shrugged and stood anyway. Grabbing some more food to munch on as they walked, Sutoi found himself checking out Rakugaki's rather long legs. Flushing as he caught himself, he quickly took a bite of his food, focusing on that as it was a much safer option overall.

"You!" Hinata planted her hands on the table with a loud smack. "You did it didn't you?" She stared one of the orange haired boys in the eyes, ignoring the other one.

Kazu glanced up with wide eyes. "Of course I didn't," he protested, looking offended at the very thought.

"Neither did I," Kenji spread his hands innocently.

Twins! Fuyuki looked surprised as she realized this. They looked so much alike, not like Rokuro Saito and Eizen Saito. You couldn't even tell them apart.

"It had to be one of you," Fuyuki said.

"Yeah, you were staring at us and laughing hysterically," Hinata narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

Spreading his hands out in an action that mirrored his twin's, Kazu shrugged. "It was hilarious," he said as if that was answer enough.

Sutoi frowned, brows knitting together slightly. He felt like they were missing something, but he had no idea what it could be?

"You didn't even look surprised," Kenji shrugged as well.

"What are you going to do?" Kazu asked curiously, though his tone was just as innocent as before.

"What am I going to do?" Hinata arched an eyebrow. "I'll tell you what I'm going to do. I'm going to make you reap your own harvest."

"Take your own medicine," Fuyuki added. "Eat what you served…?"

Suoti choked, resisting the urge to ask what exactly they were planning on doing. Did he want to get involved? Did he actually have a choice?

Kazu studied them for a moment then turned to his brother. "Are you concerned, Kenji?"

"Absolutely," Kenji said, looking quite serious. "Very concerned."

Nodding, as if expecting this answer, Kazu turned back to the other three. "We can't wait to see what you're capable of."

"The Prank War is on," Hinata said seriously.

"May the best pranksters win," Kazu said with a grin that grew by the word.

* * *

 **Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! It was a bit weird in the writing but hopefully that doesn't show through *Alumni looks nervous as Loki fixes her with a pointed look***

 **Anyways! We promised another Squad Name! So here is Genjiro Katou, Rin Nakamaru, and Anamiya Yun's Squad...**

 **Bad Boys Who Drink Milk**

 **Next we have some cute scenes while preparing for the Sports Festival!**


	15. Chapter 14

_Review Replies with Alumni and Loki :_

 _Supreme Kai of Booty ~_ _We got a little anxious writing it! lol! He is a gorgeous boy! We hope you enjoy the prank war!_

 _61394 ~ You'll have to wait and see ;) The rescue exercise was a lot of fun to write! Loki appreciates the HP reference._

 _SSJC J ~_ _No problem! We are glad you like this and look forward to hearing your thoughts!_

 _gold crown dragon ~_ _Yeah, they're pretty cute! Thanks for the ideas! We'll see what we can do with them_

 _Starblitz1312 ~ It was very sweet. Also that's just what Crook fears, lol! We hope you enjoy the continuation of the prank war and will have another squad to you soon. Also Alumni appreciates the Thor reference._

 _LifeisBeautiful17 ~_ _Thanks for sharing your thoughts and we're glad you liked the last chapter. Hope you continue enjoying what we have planned._

 _Attackin ~_ _Everyone is interested in Liam, poor guy, its the last thing he wants lol! The prankwar is interesting. Ooh good thoughts! You'll like this chapter I bet!_

 _Butterfly Chikage ~_ _Rokuro and manners...we'll see about that one lol. Lowkey ship them all you want; they're very dynamic in their own angry-scowly ways. Yeah, Hikari is pretty cute. You'll get answers about that as soon as Loki writes them *shrugs* You did get it right! Good job! That made us laugh. He does need to tone it down a bit *eyes Liam* Genjiro is a very sweet boy; no denying that. Hi and Hikari will make a fine team. Oh gosh...hahaha, that's hilarious. We're very amused by that; thanks for sharing that. Eizen definitely needs some help for sure and Keoko will gladly do it :) Yukiko is fun and so is Sutoi; his Quirk will be addressed in a chapter fairly soon. Awww….we'll we're very glad you like them so much! They're all very pure in their own ways. Well you're going to get a lot more of Haruto very soon *eyes the next chapter* Aizawa doesn't get paid nearly enough to deal with them lol but Akio does need to learn that. Anamiya is a sweet child (He's one of Loki's favorites) Kaori...is well Kaori..and spoilers... *shrugs* Hinata is a very sweet girl for sure! We're glad you liked Reine...that was a fun scene to do lol It's a fun squad for sure, rather Sutoi knows what he's gotten into or not, we don't know (He'll love it) Thank you so much and we're very glad you enjoyed it!_

 _Artesys ~ We couldn't resist. Yeah, Rokuro had some...problems lol. Hikari is a pretty precious girl overall. It was one of Loki's favorite things to write in that scene. Glad you're liking Liam! You'll be getting more of that squad pretty soon! He needs to be knocked down a peg lol Yun's growth will be a very fun thing to explore.. Hope you enjoy it!_

 _Firealis ~ Thanks! We'll keep at it! The Sports Festival will be amazing!_

 _MysteryAgain ~ Glad you liked it! Character development continues!_

* * *

Twenty four donuts stuffed with mayonnaise delivered to General Education.

Twenty unsuspecting students and teacher.

Four extras, just in case.

One triumphant high five shared between two prankster girls.

"Oh donuts, I hate donuts," Kenji Yanusu sneered at the round pastry. "So American."

Kazu Yanusu picked one up as well, frowning. "They wouldn't," he murmured, outraged, even as he realized that they actually had. The girls had stooped low; he had clearly underestimated them.

"It's so cool they decided to do this!" Kenji took a bite. "Absolutely delicious."

Elbowing his twin in the ribs, Kazu placed the donut back onto the tray. "It is brilliant," he admitted. They should have thought of this.

"It's a shame we fell for it," Kenji sighed, shaking his head.

Kazu nodded, staring thoughtfully at the donuts. "We have to do something just as incredible," he mused.

"That wasn't incredible," Kenji interrupted.

Smirking,Kazu wiped his fingers on his pants. "You just can't appreciate a good prank," he said, shaking his head.

"I can't," Kenji sighed wearily.

"I know," Kazu agreed, then plucked the donut from his brother's fingers and put it with the others. His eyes were gleaming. "Come on, Ken. I already have an idea.".

"It's probably a horrible one that I will absolutely hate," Kenji shook his head.

* * *

Buckets of ice water balanced precariously on door frames.

One "borrowed" master key card.

Two unsuspecting girls and one boy arriving back at the dorms.

"Alright so we need a better plan than the donuts," Fuyuki sighed. "I really thought that would work, but I guess we are really up against supreme tricksters."

"Yeah," Hinata nodded. "I've got to think of a really good one."

"How did I get into this?" Sutoi wondered, once again. He really wasn't sure but now he was as invested as they were, and there was no backing out. Scowling, he wiped at his face.

"Not sure," Hinata shrugged. "But you are here to stay. We've got to get back at them for this soaking." She shook her head, water droplets spraying Sutoi in the face again. They were taking council on the common floor, after changing into dry clothes.

Sighing, Sutoi wiped his face again. He freely admitted she was cute, but he really didn't care for all this water. "I'm not about to go anywhere," he promised.

"Too late, you are neck deep," Fuyuki told him.

"I know," Sutoi agreed. He had realized that just a few minutes ago. "So what are we going to do?" He had no idea, never being in a prank war before.

"I don't know," Hinata flopped backwards. "I'm like the Queen of Pranks yet I'm baffled about choosing which one to do next."

Sutoi shrugged. "Air horns?" he suggested, though he had no idea what to do with them.

"Yes!" Hinata bolted upright, spraying Sutoi in the face again with water droplets from her hair. "Air horns!"

Sighing, Sutoi wiped at his face again. He realized that he didn't even mind much this time. "But what with them?" he asked, still having no clue.

"Stick them to their doorknobs so when they open the door they go off," Hinata grinned.

Sutoi blinked, then he found himself slowly returning the grin. "That's actually a brilliant idea," he admitted.

"It's absolutely brilliant," Fuyuki agreed, holding up her hand for a high five.

"Yeah!" Hinata agreed, giving Fuyuki a fistbump instead.

Fighting back a laugh as he saw this, Sutoi nodded. "Let's do this," he said seriously.

* * *

Replaced deodorant for butter.

Oil for shower gel.

Googly eyes pasted on every object they owned.

Mashed potato and black bean cookies at lunch.

Oreos stuffed with white toothpaste.

"If you need anything I'll obtain it for you!" Reine volunteered eagerly, having fallen victim to the toothpaste Oreos. "No problem at all! Just get me a list and I'll have Risa pick it up. Or we could all go shopping!"

"Anything will help," Sutoi said with a sigh, wondering if he had gotten the last set of googly eyes off his backpack. This had escalated considerably and he wondered when it would ever actually stop. It had been going on over two days straight now. He was lucky that he hadn't had one of those Oreos.

"How about we go shopping for hair dye?" Hinata's eyes lit up.

Sutoi's own eyes widened. "What are you thinking?"

"Let's give them some new colors," Hinata grinned.

"Alright," Sutoi agreed after a moment. He really hated googly eyes.

"Teach them to mess with us," Fuyuki grinned, giving Hinata a fistbump.

"Sounds perfect, I'll call my chauffeur!" Reine squealed.

Sutoi grinned too. He wasn't sure what he was more excited about...the dye or being driven by a real chauffeur. "Let's do this," he said, wondering what color they would pick out. He hoped it was ridiculous.

* * *

"Hey, Doctor Mura!"

Kaede walked in, flopping down on the sinking couch in the Doctor's office. She liked it better than the armchair. Mostly because it was more comfortable, and secondly because it reminded her of those cliche cop show scenes where the cop is avoiding all the hard questions from the psychiatrist and joking about life when they really had PTSD. Also, did she mention it was really comfortable?

"Hello, Kōmori," Doctor Mura smiled as he looked up. "Right on time, as usual."

"You know it," Kaede tipped her head backwards over the arm of the couch. "Promptness is next to Heroness, or something like that."

"Is that how it works?" Doctor Mura asked.

"Totally," Kaede did her best to nod while her head was upside down.

"What would you like to talk about today?" Doctor Mura asked, an amused smile on his lips.

"Alright so I do have something to talk about," Kaede looked serious. "And it's not really about me so to speak."

"Oh?" Doctor Mura arched an eyebrow. "Are you having troubles with another of your classmates?"

"No, no," Kaede shook her head, this being much easier upside down. "A _friend_ of mine is having troubles."

"Oh, a friend?" Doctor Mura looked at her curiously. It seemed today she wished to avoid speaking about her issues. Using a friend usually was the first instinct.

"Yeah, well this friend of mine is having trouble with this guy," Kaede said making a face. "They haven't talked together decently in a while and things are pretty rough with them."

"I see," Doctor Mura nodded. Sounded like a romantic argument. He had expected some form of romance to blossom between students, but this happened much quicker. Already a lovers quarrel. "Has your _friend_ tried talking to this guy?"

"My friend does all the talking basically," Kaede sighed. "And this guy doesn't speak at all...he's really quiet and doesn't like to talk about his emotions. My friend gets really angry about this."

Wondering vaguely which of the students she had fallen for, Mura made a note. "Does your friend want to remedy this?"

"I don't know," Kaede looked thoughtful. "But I think my friend should. They need to get together again, and the only way that can happen is for some understanding to be reached."

"That would be good," Doctor Mura agreed. "A civilized conversation in a safe place would be a good starting place. This way both sides can share their view on the story."

"That's great advice!" Kaede brightened. "I wonder what a safe place would be…"

"You can invite your friend and this guy to my office," Doctor Mura offered, writing down he needed some couples advice pamphlets. "I can help out."

"Would you do that?" Kaede grinned. "Because my friend really needs some help."

"Of course," Doctor Mura smiled.

"Great! What time?" Kaede asked.

"Does 3:30 tomorrow sound good?" Mura asked, tapping his pen lightly against the clipboard.

"Wonderful, I'll make sure they are here," Kaede nodded.

"Sounds like a plan," Mura wrote down the time next to the couples pamphlets note. "Now, is there something else you would like to talk about today?"

* * *

"You must admit, they did a horrible job." Kenji sounded disgusted as he pulled at his now dark purple, bright green, and splashes of pale pink locks. "These are beautiful colors," he added brightly. "I would have definitely thought of instant hair dye."

"Mhm," Kazu agreed, staring at his hair in the mirror. He could have done without the pink.  
"We can't let them get away with this. It's gone too far this time."

"We have to come up with something spectacularly nice," Kenji shook his hair. "I think I like this look."

Laughing, Kazu studied their reflections for a moment. "We have to do something so spectacular, we win this."

"We will lose," Kenji sighed wearily.

"I know," Kazu agreed with a grin, his eyes bright.

* * *

"Are you coming?" Kaede glanced at Eizen Saito as she led him down the hall.

Eizen sighed softly. What would she say if he answered no? "What are we doing again?"

"I've got to drop something off at Doctor Mura's office then off to some combat practice with a few of the others," Kaede reminded him.

"And why am I going with you?" Eizen frowned, wondering why he had agreed to even go with her to begin with. He had been content with laying in his bed all day.

"Because it's fun," Kaede replied. "This will do you good."

Eizen frowned again. "I was having fun," he muttered.

"Staring at your ceiling isn't fun," Kaede eyed him.

Eizen didn't look at her, even as he felt her gaze on him. "It is to me."

"Well your going to look like a vampire of you don't get some sun," Kaede replied.

Eizen grunted, crossing his arms. He didn't respond to that.

"But you would like that wouldn't you?" Kaede said after a moment.

Sighing, Eizen shook his head. "I really don't care either way."

"Yeah," Kaede shook her head. "We're here." She glanced at Eizen.

Eizen shrugged a shoulder, letting Kaede take the lead.

Kaede stepped into the room letting Eizen follow her.

Hoping this wouldn't take long, Eizen stepped inside too, hands in his pockets.

Kaede waved, "Here he is, Doctor Mura!" She quickly darted out from behind Eizen and slammed the door shut.

Eizen blinked, startled, then glanced at the now closed door. "What's going on?" Had she just left him?

"What the hell?" Rokuro jumped up.

Eizen spun around, eyes widening when he saw his brother. "What are you doing here?" He was beginning to understand this was some sort of set up though he had no idea as to why.

"What are you doing here?" Rokuro shouted.

Doctor Mura cleared his throat, sliding the couples and dating pamphlets under his clipboard. Evidently he had gotten the wrong idea..."Please come sit," he said.

"Kaede told me she had to pick something up," Eizen said flatly, before turning to the doctor. "What am I doing here?"

"I was told that two needing counseling," Doctor Mura smiled, standing up. "There's no need to be defensive, join us."

Eizen's frown grew and he shook his head. He wasn't in the right mood to deal with his brother, not right now. "I don't think counseling will help," he muttered, chancing a look at his brother.

Rokuro snorted, turning away as if he expected this.

"I think it will," Doctor Mura walked over. "There seems to be a lot of unsettled things between you two. Perhaps if you unearthed these subjects you could settle the differences between you to."

Eizen sighed, running a hand through his hair that was hanging loose today. He hadn't felt like pulling it back today. He looked at his brother again, feeling his resolve give. He wanted things better between them, there was no doubt of that, so he settled into a chair. He didn't expect much, however.

Doctor Mura sat back down, a newly retrieved file in his hands, eyeing them both. Due to their quirks, they were both high strung and volatile. "Tell me a little about your childhoods," he looked interested at both of them. "Were you close growing up?"

Eizen propped his chin in his hand, unconsciously slipping a coin between his fingers as he waited to see what his brother would say to that.

"Like at what point?" Rokuro leaned back. "We are still kids."

Eizen made a mhmm sound in agreement, looking at the window.

"Let's start from the beginning," Doctor Mura suggested. "When you were around the ages of 3-9 years old."

Eizen kept his gaze towards the window. He didn't like thinking about those years, which were rather dark. He has struggled far more during that time then he did now.

"I don't know, I guess we were close when we were little," Rokuro shrugged.

"You were," Doctor Mura notes. "Did this perhaps change when you developed your quirks?"

"Yes," Eizen murmured, finally glancing at Mura. He knew that's what happened. Nothing had

ever been the same since then. He felt the weight of that every day.

"Because of your differing emotions?" Mura asked.

Eizen shrugged a shoulder, looking back at the coin he was still playing with. He assumed so but he didn't know. All he understood was his brother's rage seemed always directed at him.

"Look I couldn't stand the cry baby," Rokuro scoffed. "He was always crying and getting his way with Dad and our older brother. They would just chew me out."

Doctor Mura nodded. So Rokuro was the one who was honest to a fault. Not surprising. It would be harder to get things out of Eizen. "But this is due to his quirk, let's look at how he felt during this time," he glanced at Eizen expectantly.

Eizen closed his eyes at his brother's words. Had he done that? Perhaps. Their father and older brother had understood, to a certain extent, what his Quirk did to him and had done their best to humor him when they could. He had a feeling that they had for fear of what might have happened to him if they hadn't. He really didn't want to talk about it.

"I know it is difficult, but try relating how you felt during this time," Doctor Mura suggested. "I

think Rokuro needs to know what you were dealing with just the same as you need to hear him."

Several long moments passed before Eizen could find the words. "A constant weight against my shoulders and a growing pressure in my chest," he murmured. "Every single damn day."

"Yeah well just ignore it!" Rokuro snapped. "As if that's really your problem, all you want is attention and you'll do anything to get it!"

"That's enough, Mr. Saito, we do not need outbursts of anger, despite your quirk," Doctor Mura held up a hand.

Eizen flinched, then caught the coin and clenched it in his fist. He was just making things worse; he should have never stayed here. Why had he?

"You speak the truth," Doctor Mura nodded at Eizen. "Your differing quirks have driven a stake between you two. However one emotion should remain clear no matter how much you bury it."

"Oh yeah, what is that?" Rokuro scoffed.

"Your love for each other. Doesn't the fact you are brothers still remain no matter how much you differ from each other now?" Doctor Mura asked.

"Of course it does," Eizen said softly, opening his eyes again. He was tired, no, he was beyond tired.

Rokuro scoffed again, not speaking.

The dismissal stung and Eizen clenched the coin tighter. He deserved his brother's anger, his hate, but it still hurt. This had been such a mistake. He should never have even got out of bed today.

"Rokuro, why is it you are so antagonistic towards your brother?" Doctor Mura asked.

Eizen was certain he already had a good idea; he released a breath then began running the coin between his fingers again.

Rokuro shrugged, "you want the whole list?"

"I think you are jealous," Doctor Mura noted. "Do you think he's better than you?"

"I'm not," Eizen said softly, not able to look at his brother as he thought over Mura's words. Why

in the world would he think that? He didn't understand.

"He thinks he is," Rokuro leaned back. "Just because I don't fight like them doesn't mean I'm not as good."

Eizen could feel the beginnings of a headache start to build. Did his brother not hear what he just said? He had never once thought himself better than Rokuro, not by far. He rubbed at his temples.

"Your brother wasn't lying when he said he didn't think he was better than you," Doctor Mura replied. "Why do you feel like he is? Is it because you don't 'fight like them'?"

How bad of a brother did he have to be not to do something to keep it from going this far? Eizen rubbed his temples again. Another rightful reason for his brother's hate.

"What do you mean by that?" Rokuro's eyes sparked.

Eizen, knowing that tone well, braced himself for what was to come. He focused on the coin in his hand, and wondered why Kaede had done this to begin with.

"I'm thinking you have let your inspirations and quirks get between you," Doctor Mura said. "You should never forget what comes first."

Eizen had tried, he had, but he would be the first to admit that he hadn't always kept his melancholy from getting the upper hand against him at times, even after he had gotten control over his quirk. Some days, like this, he struggled. He glanced sideways at his brother, wanting to apologize but knowing it wouldn't help anything.

"We aren't the same anymore," Rokuro shrugged.

Had they ever been? Eizen couldn't recall and was glad of this. It helped prevent some pain, he was sure.

"You don't have to be the same," Doctor Mura pointed out. "You aren't the same as your friends."

Eizen rubbed at his temples, glancing briefly at his brother. Why couldn't he see that? They both had different strengths and that was alright.

"Look at home it's all about Shigure and Eizen," Rokuro's blue eyes snapped. "We can't be friends because we are rivals. There's no other way around it."

"We are not rivals," Eizen said tiredly, because he couldn't not say anything to that. "We have never been and Shigure has nothing to do with this."

"Oh yeah, how the hell do you figure that?" Rokuro glared at the ceiling.

Eizen sighed softly, looking back at the window. "At least there's no rivalry on my part," he said softly. It was pointless. "Dad has never shown any favoritism to any of us."

"Oh yeah?" Rokuro bolted upright. "Then why's he always talking about you two? You two perfect sons who took right after him and excel in the fighting style and can beat control your quirks? No favoritism my...I'm done here." He turned and before Doctor Mura could protest, had the door slammed behind him.

Eizen pressed his face into his hands and let the silence wash over him. He would never be able to fix things with Rokuro; this divide was all his fault. He should have done better.

"It's not your fault," Doctor Mura said softly. "At his core, though he denies it, he really looks up to you. That's why he strives to be better. He wants to prove himself your equal."

Eizen scoffed, dropping his hands and running his fingers through his dark hair. "He has no reason to look up to me. I'm not someone worthy of that."

"You are his older brother, aren't you?" Doctor Mura asked.

Eizen nodded, not sure what that had to do with anything. He was lousy at the job it seemed.

"It's reason enough, he's probably admired your strength and power from the time you were little. His quirk is anger. He can't project his feelings very well since, like you, one feeling usually takes over. But it is evident to me he strives to be like you and wishes to meet you on even ground," Mura explained.

Eizen stared at him, red eyes unknowingly full of deep desperation. "Then what do I do?" His voice cracked a little.

"Be patient, but don't go easy on him," Mura suggested. "He wants to beat you at your best.

After that he'll have no end goal. That is where you will need to step in and help."

Eizen swallowed hard, looking down at the coin that he was no longer playing with. It lay flat

in his palm. "What if he won't accept it?"

"Then be there as his brother," Mura said. "That's all you can do."

"I don't think that'll be enough," Eizen said softly then stood. "Thanks." He wasn't sure anything good came out of this but at least he had some insight on his brother that he hadn't before. He would have to think about it.

"My pleasure, do come back for more than your usual appointments," Doctor Mura suggested.

Eizen managed a smile, though it didn't really reach his eyes then slipped from the room, closing the door tightly behind him. For a moment, he rested his forehead against the cool metal, then turned, going back to his room. Once he got there, he made sure his door was locked before he kicked off his shoes and collapsed into his bed, crawling under the blankets.

He was still for several moments, then pressed an arm over his eyes and began to silently weep.

* * *

Haruto pretended to not be waiting for Class B to finish their lesson in the gym. He pretended he wasn't waiting for a certain someone from Class B to finish their lesson in the gym. He pretended he was just hanging out, curious about anything but that certain someone in Class B. Also, he was pretending some of the others hadn't joined him.

It was annoying that they did.

Because he hadn't wanted an audience.

Oh well, he couldn't convince them to leave, plus some of them already knew.

Liam had no idea what was going on, or how exactly he had managed to find himself in this situation, but there was a strange sort of tension in the air and the look in Hanko's eyes was just as odd. There was about a hundred ways this could go down and he didn't like any of them. He needed to leave. This was just trouble and really, they were watching him enough as it was.

Finally, they were done.

Haruto drew himself to his full height, crossing his bulging arms across his thick chest. It had all started in the lunchroom, and he would see it through to the end.

"MONDRONEN!" He bellowed, voice reverberating through the gym.

Deep set orange eyes set in a dark tan face lifted from the ground. Teeth bared, the Class B student rose from his sitting position on the ground.

"Hanko." Came the low growl.

"Whoa." Keoko nudged Akio, pointing to the boy. "He's as tall as you."

Wondering what they were about to get into, Akio glanced over at where she was pointing. "Almost," he said quietly, amusement in the world, though he was also in some type of awe. He hadn't met anyone as tall as he was; Chiyo was close however.

"Alright, well have fun," Keoko nodded, staring at the other boy for a moment before looking back. "I'm off to run some errands."

Akio, eyebrow raised, looked down at her again. "And you think I'm going to stay?" Nothing about this was at all appealing to him.

"Hm, you're right," Keoko said. "But I'm going by myself."

Akio stared at for several long moments, then nodded. "See if you can get him to go out for dinner with us tonight," he said. He wasn't one for socialization, and he knew that Eizen wasn't either, but he thought that maybe this time, it would be alright.

"Will do," Keoko smiled, waving before running off. "I'll ask Akari too."

Shaking his head, Akio turned, not concerned. If anyone could get through to Eizen, it would be Keoko he was certain of. Wishing her luck on her self-appointed task, he figured that this would give him a good chance to do some swimming. It had been a long time since he had done that.

"Mondronen," Haruto glared up at the taller boy.

"Hanko." the orange eyes flashed downward. "What are you doing around here? I told you to stay away from my class."

"Too bad because I'm not finished with the lunchroom fight," Hanko's eyes refocused.

"Bring it."

* * *

 **Hope everyone liked this chapter! A bit of character development and dare we say...**

 **Class B.**

 **Look forward to next chapter's "Girl's Night Out"**

 **Also another squad was introduced!**

 **DREAM TEAM!**

 **Members: Reine Marseilles, Hinata Rakugaki, Fuyuki Moto, and Sutoi Daitenshi!**


	16. Valentines OVA

**_Happy Valentines Day_**

* * *

As the hours of the night slipped by, the storm grew; the winds shook the windows and lightning repeatedly lit the sky. I, Akari Seishin, sat on the couch, buried in blankets and watching my classmates go on, as if they were all unaware of The Notebook, and its significance, that lay upon the table. I shook my head, then reached out, briefly drumming my fingers against the top. The pages that were hidden beneath the blue cover were full of things, things that were more important than anything else but I only seemed to understand this. With the softest of exhales, I pick it up, studying it carefully for a moment. This is it. This is The Ship Note.

Everything was about to change...forever.

* * *

"Akari...Akari."

"Yeah?" Akari murmured around a yawn, opening her eyes to see Keoko. Surely it wasn't time to get up yet.

"It's morning!" Keoko cheered. "Remember what we're doing today?"

"No," Akari muttered, pressing her face into the pillow. It was too early to think properly.

"The squad is going shopping today," Keoko squealed. "Good bonding," she clapped her hands together.

"Oh, that's right." Akari set up quickly, brushing by her disheveled gray hair. "I can't believe I forgot. I'll be ready in just a sec."

"Great! I'm going to get the boys," Keoko grinned.

Akari grinned back. "Alright. I'll hurry."

"Great!" Keoko cheered.

Akari quickly stood, grabbing a brush. "I'm so excited."

"Me too!" Keoko called, already out the door.

Laughing, Akari quickly began dressing. She had lots in mind to do when they went out and she was sure Keoko did too. It was going to be extremely fun today.

"Alright, is everyone here?" Keoko asked.

"Looks like it," Eizen muttered, his arms crossed.

"Let me see," Keoko pointed to each person. "One, two, three, and I make four!"

Akari quickly tired her shoe then straightened. "I'm ready now."

"Then let's go!" Keoko grabbed them again.

Eizen grimaced, but followed anyway and didn't protest.

"We are going to miss the bus!" Keoko yelled back at Eizen and Akio.

"We're coming," Akio said, sharing a knowing glance with Eizen. Neither of them were that enthusiastic about this but they were determined to humor Akari and Keoko.

"Good!" Keoko hurried ahead with Akari.

"They're being so slow," Akari said with a sigh. She knew they would have fun once they got going.

"Yes I know," Keoko sighed.

Akio rolled his eyes as he heard that. "We're right behind you."

"And we are closer to the bus station than you are," Keoko pointed out.

Akio just shook his head. He didn't understand whatever point it was that she was trying to make.

* * *

"Ooh I don't know where to go first," Keoko squealed, as they got off the bus.

"Is there anything in particular you want?" Akio asked, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"Not yet," Keoko grabbed Akio and Eizen's hands, pulling them down the street.

Akari charged ahead, taking to Akio's side so he wouldn't flee. "This is going to be fun."

"Yes!" Keoko agreed. "So where do we start first?" She looked up at Eizen ."

Eizen shrugged a shoulder. He was fine with anything and she knew it.

"I think we should look on this cute lucky charm shop," Keoko skidded to a halt, nearly dragging everyone backwards.

Akari nodded, peering into the window. "This looks fun."

"Look at the cute kitty," Keoko smiled.

Akio grunted in response, shaking his head as he watched her.

"He's doing it isn't he?" Keoko glanced at Akari.

Akari nodded with a sigh. "He is."

"I can't believe you," Keoko shook her head.

Sharing a look with Eizen, in which eyebrows were exchanged and knowing glances followed,

Akio's expression was innnocent as he looked down again at her. "I'm sure you can't," he agreed.

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Let's go in."

Akio's lips twitched but he didn't do anything else besides nod his agreement, however reluctant.

Keoko lead them in, admiring the different trinkets.

Eizen, his hands in his pockets, trailed after Keoko, watching as her and Akari examined everything that they passed. He was sure they would find something here.

"Look this one looks like you Eizen," Keoko pointed to a blue cat.

Eizen glanced over, his expression quickly turning to pure puzzlement. "It does?"

"It's blue, which is like your favorite color and it has red eyes," Keoko pointed out.

Eizen ducked his head. "I suppose," he murmured in agreement, glancing down at his dark blue shirt.

Akari wasn't paying attention to a figurine like she appeared to be. She was actually more focused on Eizen and Keoko's interaction, eyes delighted.

"I'm right," Keoko glanced up at him.

"I do like blue," Eizen said finally.

"It's cute on you," Keoko decided.

Eizen felt a flush creep on his face. "Er...thanks," he muttered.

Akio rolled his eyes, as he saw this exchange but didn't say anything.

"Of course," Keoko smiled.

Not entirely sure what to do with himself now, or why any of this mattered, because it didn't, Eizen looked quickly at a table full of figurines.

Keoko twirled a piece of hair around her finger, looking at the other figurines.

Akio wandered over to a shelf, grimacing as his leg nearly caught on the edge of it. Crap. That had been close.

"Why don't you get it for him?" Akari asked, sliding up to Keoko's other side.

"Get it for him?" Keoko blinked at her.

Akari pointed at the figurine. "That. For Eizen. He would love it."

"You think so?" Keoko looked thoughtful.

"I do." Akari smiled as she spoke. "Especially if it came from you."

"Really?" Keoko tilted her head, examining the cat.

Akai nodded quickly. "Of course," she said, watching Keoko watch the cat.

"I'll do it," Keoko decided.

Fighting back a grin of victory, Akari nodded again. "I think you're making a good decision."

"When should I give it to him?" Keoko picked it up.

Akari shrugged. "Just whenever," she suggested.

"Alright," Keoko nodded.

"I think it's sweet," Akari admitted, picking up one in casual interest.

"Me too," Keoko agreed.

"He really does seem happy, or as happy as he can be, around you," Akari said, tone slightly musing.

"I told him he can't be sad, unless we are fighting of course," Keoko said, purchasing the cat.

"Of course," Akari said, smirking a little as she watched. This had been a very good development.

"There," Keoko his the package. "I'll give it to him later."

"Let me know how it goes," Akari said eagerly. She was sure it would be as great as she was thinking it would be.

"I will," Keoko grinned.

Akari grinned back then whipped her head around when she heard a swear. Akio had hit another table and had barely caught a figurine before it shattered. "How does he function?" She wondered.

"Let's leave before we end up buying the store," Keoko smiled.

"Please," Eizen said, appearing behind her. Wondering what she had bought, he sighed then went after the other Saito.

"Come on Akio," Keoko grinned. "Let's find a less breakable shop."

Akio made a face but didn't deny how good of an idea that was. He really didn't want to break anything.

"Let's go!" Keoko led the way, carefully, out of the store.

Akio was finally able to breathe once they got out. "Now what?"

"Hm, where do you guys want to go?" Keoko looked around.

Akio shrugged, looking around as well. "I'm fine with anything."

"Pick," Keoko narrowed her eyes.

Akio stared back. "It's your thing today."

"It's everyone's thing because we are friends," Keoko smiled.

Akio cracked a smile at that. "I'm stuck with you."

"Yes," Keoko modded. "Eizen, Akari, have any suggestions?"

"I...where did Eizen go?" Frowning, Akari looked around. He had been right here.

"Eizen?" Keoko looked around.

After a moment, Akio pointed at a bookstore. He was sure that was where he had gone.

"Ohhhh," Keoko nodded. "Makes sense. Let's go there."

Akari was nodded, interest in her eyes. "I need a few new books." A few was unlikely but she would try to remain in budget this time.

"I want to look at the books too," Keoko nodded.

"Do you have anything in mind?" Akari asked, watching Akio disappear into the books. Or he tried his best too; he was too tall for it to actually happen.

"Not really, ill just look at them," Keoko said.

Akari nodded. "We can look together."

"Alright! What are you looking for?" Keoko asked.

Akari shrugged, whipping out a piece of paper. "I have a list of authors here."

"Ooh, I haven't seen any of these," Keoko said.

Akari inhaled sharply. "You haven't?"

"No," Keoko shook her head.

Shaking her head, Akari began leading Keoko up and down an aisle, searching. "I'm going to fix that."

"Really?" Keoko followed her.

Akari nodded. "You're one of my best friends. I wouldn't let you go astray."

"Oh no Akio never let me either," Keoko shook her head.

Akari giggled at that. "I would be surprised if he did."

"Yeah, but he reads boring books," Keoko made a face

"Well, I don't," Akari promised. She would show Keoko the better stuff.

"That's good," Keoko modded.

Akari made a mhmm sound as she reached for a book. "I've got to ask something and I hope you're not embarrassed."

"What?" Keoko asked.

Akari casually examined the back of the book then tucked it under her arm. "Have you noticed anything about Eizen lately?"

"Noticed anything about Eizen, hmm," Keoko looked thoughtful.

Akari waited, trying not to let her excitement show. Keoko was a bit...oblivious so she wasn't expecting much.

"He's a lot happier," Keoko notes.

"I think you've done that," Akari said innocently.

"Me?" Keoko laughed. "No I think he just needed some friends." A hint of something else entered her voice.

Akari, of course heard it, and she grinned. "Is that right?"

"Uh huh," Keoko nodded quickly.

Shaking her head, Akari's grin grew. "I don't think that's it."

"You don't?" Keoko asked.

Akari shook her head again. "Not exactly." She glanced sideways at Keoko as she picked up another book.

Keoko blushed, pretending to look at books.

Victorious, Akari picked up another and handed it to Keoko. "Just an observation."

"Yeah," Keoko looked at the book hard.

"I'm sure Akio has seen it too," Akari continued, watching Keoko watch the book. She was so thrilled by this. All she wanted was her friends to be happy.

"Akio sees everything because he's so tall," Keoko laughed a little.

Akari laughed at that too. She couldn't disagree there. "Well, alright," she relented. "Maybe."

"Right," Keoko modded.

"But he still sees things," Akari said, trying to bring the conversation back around.

"Yes..." Keoko looked at her quizzically.

Akari sighed softly. She loved Keoko but sometimes she really did have to wonder about her. "Just keep in mind what I said."

"Oh Akio is just my best friend, he wouldn't be jealous or anything," Keoko blurted out before covering her mouth with her handed

Akari's eyes widened with delight. "Did I say that?" she asked innocently.

"No," Keoko murmured.

Akari smirked, pretending to examine another book. 'He likes Eizen so you know...he would definitely approve."

"Approve?" Keoko flushes.

It took everything Akari had not to giggle. This was better than anything she could have hoped. "Well, surely you want him to be alright with...anything."

"Yeah..." Keoko glanced around.

Akari grinned at that. "I approve too, by the way."

"You do?" Keoko blushed bright red.

"Of course I do!" Akari gave up pretending she was looking at something and clapped her hands enthusiastically.

"That's nice," Keoko said.

Akari nodded then reached for a book. "Try that."

"Ooh this looks fun," Keoko said.

Akari nodded knowingly. "One of my favorite authors."

"It certainly looks cool," Keoko modded.

"Get it," Akari advised, before turning away. She grinned out of sight. She hadn't been expecting any of this today.

"Alright," Keoko agreed.

Akari lead her down another aisle. "This is so fun."

"It is fun!" Keoko agreed.

"I wonder where the boys went," Akari mused. For someone so tall, Akio could easily hide.

"Me too," Keoko looked thoughtful.

"Hm." Akari frowned, looking around too.

"Akio must be sitting," Keoko sighed.

Akari laughed softly, not surprised. "I haven't heard any crashes."

"Hm there must be a sitting area," Keoko looked around.

"We're over here," Akio called softly from several aisles away.

"Oh there they are," Keoko bounced over.

"Did you two get lost?" Akio asked, looking up from his book. Eizen was sitting beside him, reading too.

"No," Keoko shook her head.

"Mhm," Akio said, obviously not convinced.

"What?" Keoko looked scandalized that he would even doubt her.

Akio raised an eyebrow, staring at her without a word. His lips twitched however and that was more than enough response.

Keoko walked over and smacked him on the head.

Akio reached up, grabbed her hand then pushed her arm away. "I didn't say anything," he said, rolling his eyes. She was ridiculous.

"Yes you did!" Keoko protested, grabbing her scarf and animating it.

"Children," Akari scolded, seeing the expression on Akio's face as he saw the scraf. She had no idea why he hated it as much as he did but she had decided it would be better not to ask.

"He wouldn't let me hit him on the head," Keoko pouted.

Akari looked between them, then shook her head. "Don't make me separate you two." She glanced at Eizen, fully prepared to drag him into this when she saw the...discomfort on his face. What was going on with that?

"Aaah!" Keoko snaked Akio with her other hand.

Akari turned her attention back to Keoko, giving her an offended look. "I didn't do anything."

She smacked Akio again.

"I'm not done," Keoko decided.

Akio growled softly, making a face. "I don't agree."

"Well I'm in charge," Keoko replies.

Akari rolled her eyes fondly. "Don't be bossy, Keoko," she said.

"But I am," Keoko crossed her arms.

Akio reached out, stopping her hand before it hit him again. "You're so ridiculous."

Eizen watched, silent, but expression oddly pained.

"That's worth another slap," Keoko said, trying to wriggle out of his grasp.

"Not going to happen," Akio said firmly, knowing her well enough to be able to prevent her escape.

"Aah!" Keoko controlled her animated scarf to tickle him.

Akio stumbled and released her as soon as the scarf got him. He hated that thing more than anything.

Shaking her head, Akari sighed then crossed her arms, letting them work it out. She turned to Eizen, wondering if he thought they were ridiculous too, when she saw his expression again. It still looked pained as he watched them...wait...was he jealous?

Keoko brushed herself off, "Are you two done?"

Akio glared at the scraf before standing. "We're ready."

"Great, where's Akari?" Keoko asked.

Akari waved a hand, looking away from Eizen for a moment. This was amazing. "Right here.'

"Oh good, let's find a tea shop, I'm thirsty," Keoko said excitedly.

Akari grinned. "Alright, sounds good," she agreed, leading them to the woman behind the counter.

"Mm blueberry boba sounds good," Keoko picked up the book she had dropped to smack Akio.

"I agree," Akari nodded.

"What about you?" Keoko asked the boys.

Eizen shrugged, looking at his feet as he clutched his books.

"Mango," Akio said promptly. He always got the same.

"Don't you have a favorite, Eizen?" Keoko asked.

"Not really," Eizen murmured, wondering if he should have one. He was finding it strangely hard to concentrate. Had Akio and Keoko always been touchy like that?

"You strike me as a..." Keoko shot up on her tiptoes to look at him. "Strawberry man."

Despite himself, Eizen's lips quirked. "I'll try it," he decided.

"Good," Keoko smiled. "Now lets go."

Even as she bought her books, none of this was escaping Akari's notice. She watched them with a pleased and knowing smirk.

"Oh look," Keoko pointed as they exited the shop. "There's Kinoshita and your brother, Eizen."

Eizen looked up at that, surprised. "What are they doing here?" It wasn't an odd place to them but together? Now that was weird.

"We should go say hi," Akari suggested. It would only be polite. Besides, she was curious.

"Yes," Keoko modded running over.

Eizen grimaced but followed at a distance.

"That's ridiculous!" Rokuro's voice echoed across the street.

"It's ridiculous that you followed me all the way to the mall to say that," Hanami snapped back, arms crossed. Each gloved hand had a shopping bag in it.

"Well someone had to point out you were wrong," Rokuro argues.

"I'm shopping," Hanami stressed, rolling her eyes.

"That's not an excuse," Rokuro said.

"It is too," Hanami shot back, stopping as she saw her classmates.

"Hello!" Keoko waved brightly. "It's good to see you!"

"What are you guys doing here?" Hanami asked, slowing down to a stop.

"Shopping," Keoko smiled. "What are you two doing?"

"He's being a pest," Hanami said simply.

"I'm pointing out things that she is missing," Rokuro said.

Akari motioned with a hand. "You wanted to do that so much you followed her here?" she clarified.

"She was entirely wrong," Rokuro said.

Hanami rolled her eyes at him. "And you're an idiot."

The longer she watched, the more Akari was finding it hard not to grin.

"You are the idiot for thinking this!" Rokuro shouted.

"Can't you come up with something more original? Or do you have to copy other's insults?" Hanami rolled her eyes.

"Bitch," Rokuro narrowed his eyes.

It was only because Hanami had her hands full with bags that she didn't reach out and slap him. "Bastard," she hissed.

Did they even noticed how there wasn't even true anger there anymore? Akari wondered, amused at how oblivious they were.

"Whore," Rokuro shot back.

"Ass," Hanami said instantly, eyes flashing.

Akari cleared her throat. "Are you two done?"

"No," Rokuro snapped.

Akari rolled her eyes, shaking her head. She didn't understand but the secual tension was painfully thick between them, rather they knew it themselves. "Well," she said finally. "Have fun."

"They are strange," Keoko shook her head.

Eizen cleared his throat. "They are," he muttered.

"They look like they are dating," Keoko giggled.

Those words had Akari grinning at Keoko. "They do, don't they?" It was so obvious, it was painful and Akari loved it.

"An angry couple," Keoko nodded.

"That's Rokuro for you," Eizen said with a sigh, watching the two. They were ridiculous.

"Would you want Kinoshita as a sister-in-law?" Keoko asked him.

Eizen blinked, surprised, then shrugged. "Someone needs to control him," he said by way of answering.

"Even Eizen ships them," Keoko nodded happily.

"Ship?" Eizen mouthed at Akio, who just shrugged. He had no idea.

Akari hadn't stopped grinning. "They're really cute."

"Yes," Keoko nodded.

Akari nodded back, glad that Keoko understood. "I hope they figure it out soon."

"Me too," Keoko agreed. "Oh here's the tea shop!"

Glad to be away from that strange conversation, Eizen opened the door, gaze unknowingly lingering on Keoko as she walked past.

"Whoa," Keoko stopped just inside the door.

There seemed to be some sort of trivia deal going on. Tables were filled and there was someone with a microphone reading off a question.

"What did we do?' Akio muttered, wondering if they could leave now.

"This looks fun!" Keoko cheered.

Akari looked around, eyes wide. "There's so many choices."

"Yes," Keoko modded, glancing back to make sure Akio and Eizen were still with them.

"They're still here," Akari said with a grin, sliding behind Eizen so he couldn't make a break for it.

She didn't think Akio would leave without him.

"Oh good," Keoko modded.

"Hey, look." Akari waved a hand in the direction of two more classmates she had seen.

"It's Katou And Raiji," Keoko waved.

Akari's eyes immediately lit up. "Let's go say hi real quick." This was very convenient.

"Alright!" Keoko agreed.

"I wonder what they're doing," Akari mused, finding it odd that Hikari hadn't been here with Hanami. Or perhaps it wasn't that odd, she mused.

"Playing trivia," Keoko said as Raiji answered an answer correctly.

That wasn't at all surprising. "Of course they are," Akari agreed. Raiji would win, no doubt about it.

"Hi!" Genjiro bounced up as he saw the others.

Akari smiled as she stopped in front of the table. "We weren't expecting to see you guys here."

"Neither were we," Genjiro grinned.

"Are you having fun?" Akari exaimed the papers that Raiji had, noting all her notes.

"Yeah," Genjiro nodded.

"He makes a good partner," Hikari said, glancing briefly up then looking down at a paper, circling something of importance.

"She's answered most of these," Genjiro said. "I like the tea."

Hikari smiled a little at that. "The tea is good," she agreed.

"Oh good," Keoko nodded. "We came for tea but didn't expect you guys! We already saw Rokuro Saito and Kinoshita."

"They were fighting, as usual," Akari explained, barely refraining from grinning as she saw Raiji's knowing look. Apparently it was obvious to more than just her and Keoko.

"That's sad," Genjiro shook his head

Akari shrugged a shoulder. "I think they actually enjoy it."

"Maybe," Genjiro looked confused. "But why would you like arguing?"

Akio shook his head, trying to warn Genjiro not to ask. He knew Keoko, he knew Akari, and he also knew how they could get.

Akari sighed deeply. "It's a game between them, you see," she said knowingly.

"Oh yes," Keoko agreed, launching into a full explanation.

Hikari stared at them, eyes widening more by the moment as Keoko went on, Akari occasionally jumping in with a comment.

Genjiro blinked, trying to process the information being thrown at him.

Akio sighed. He had tried to warn the other boy but he hadn't listened. Shrugging, he glanced down at Eizen, finding him staring with both fascination and fear at Keoko.

"And there you have it," Keoko put her hands on her hips with a satisfied smile.

"I see," Hikari said faintly though in truth, she wasn't really sure she did.

"Totally," Genjiro agreed.

Akari nodded, eyeing them beneath her lashes. They were sitting awfully close to one. "I think they'll get together within six months."

Genjiro glanced at Raiji, and shrugged, "Alright!"

"I'm sure that would be good for them," Hikari said, looking briefly at Genjiro before glancing back at the other girls.

"Right," Genjiro nodded.

"Let's go get our tea," Keoko urged.

Hikari waved a hand. "It was nice to see you," she said with a small smile.

"Good to see you too," Keoko grinned.

Akari looked at them knowingly then turned away. "Aren't they cute?" she whispered to Keoko.

"They are cute," Keoko nodded.

"Did you see how close they were sitting?" Akari asked softly with a giggle.

"I do," Keoko nodded eagerly.

"Totally," Keoko agreed.

Akari sighed happily then looked around. "I guess we need to find the boys." They sure slipped off easily.

"Yeah, Keoko sighed. "I wonder if they got their drinks."

"We did," Akio said from behind them. "And yours."

"Ooh," Keoko took hers. "Thank you."

Akio grunted as he took a sip of his own. "It's good."

"Mmm yes," Keoko agreed.

"Where do you want to go now?" Akari asked, after taking a delicious sip.

"I'm not sure," Keoko looked around.

Akari shrugged. "I'm good with anyone."

"Hm any suggestions?" She asked looking back at the boys.

Akio shrugged. "I heard there's a new swim shop," he said finally.

"Oh really?" Keoko looked up at him.

Akio nodded this time. "Maybe we can check it out."

"Let's!" Keoko modded.

Akari, holding her tea tightly, nodded too. She thought this would be fun. "Lead the way."

"Hurry up, Hin," Sutoi hissed, looking around guilty.

"You can't rush Art," Hinata muttered, spraying a few touches of red.

"We could get caught," Sutoi muttered, wondering how he ever got involved in. He never seemed to be able to say no.

"Cops never come down this way," Hinata muttered, shaking up her blue.

Sutoi's eyes widened at that. "Wait...cops?"

"They never come here," Hinata replied. "Too busy a place."

Sutoi sighed, running a hand down his face. "Alright," he grumbled then paused as he saw something. "Hey, there's some classmates of ours."

"Really? Cool they can help out!" HiNara said.

"It's the Saitos." Sutoi pasued. "Not the angry one, the quiet two."

"Oh good they can help hide me," Hinata said.

"What's going on?" Akari asked, interest in her eyes as she came upon them.

"Nothing, act natural," Hinata said quickly.

Akari's eyes widened at that. "About what?"

"What I'm doing," Hinata said.

Akari peered over Sutoi's shoulders, her eyes widening even more. "Um."

"Isn't it beautiful?" Hinata asked, gesturing to the spray of color.

"It is," Akari said, surprised as she stared.

"Thanks," Hinata sat back on her heels.

"So did you two just decide to come do this or?" Akari asked, wondering exactly how this happened.

"Since he's tall I decided he should be my lookout," Hikari replied.

Sutoi shrugged. "I couldn't say no," he said by way of explanation.

Akari swallowed back a sudden giggle. She would bet that.

"Almost done," Hinata said.

Sutoi laughed. "You said that twenty minutes ago, Hin," he teased.

Akari gave Keoko a knowing look.

"Yeah, well you can't rush art," Hinata replied.

Keoko glanced back at Akari, with a grin.

"Of course not," Sutoi agreed patiently. They had had this conversation a lot before.

"Goood," Hinata nodded.

"Well, you guys look like you're having fun," Akari said, trying to keep her grin from growing.

"Oh yes, I am, but Daitenshi is worried about cops," Hinata said.

"I am not," Sutoi protested, even though he really was.

"He is," Hinta sprayed some green.  
"I just don't want you to get in trouble," Sutoi said with a sigh.

"You'd be right there with me," Hinta said. "So sorry about your own butt."

Sutoi flushed. "Maybe."

"Yep," Hinata went back to painting.

Akari shook her head fondly as she watched them. "You two are ridiculous."

"He is," Hinata said.

"She is too," Sutoi said with a grin. He had no problem with this accusation.

"Am not," Hinata sprayed a spritz of red.

Sutoi shook his head with a smile, but didn't protest.

Hinata rolled her eyes, "done!" She said shoving the can in her bag.

"That's beautiful," Akari admitted, staring up at the design.

"Thanks," Hinata grinned.

"What are you two going to do now?" Akari asked, grinning back before she took a sip of her drink.

"Find another place to paint," Hinata grinned.

"Stay out of trouble?' Akari suggested as Sutoi groaned.

"Will do," Hinata grinned mischievously.

Akari grinned, shaking her head. "Try to," she corrected.

"Yeah," Hinta modded, before turning down the street.

Sutoi just held up his hands, then followed good naturally.

"Well that was fun," Keoko said, admiring the painting.

Akari also took a look at it. "Despite what he says, he does seem to enjoy her shenanigans," she said with a smirk.

"Oh yes," Keoko said.

Akio stared at Eizen then shrugged. He didn't understand.

"Let's go!" Keoko called.

Akari laughed, then followed, knowing the boys would follow.

"So where is it?" Keoko asked.

Akio looked both ways for a moment then pointed. "There," he grunted.

"Oh! Hurry up!" Keoko urges them.

"Right behind you," Akio grumbled, shaking his head.

"Coming Eizen?" Keoko asked.

Eizen waved a hand in silent response to show that he indeed was coming.

"Where's Akari?" Keoko spun around.

Akari had stopped to look at a booth of jewelry but when she had heard her name, she hurried to catch up. "Coming."

"Oh there you are," Keoko grinned.

"Sorry," Akari said, ducking her head. There was just a lot to look at.

"No problem," Keoko shrugged.

"It's there," Akio said, pointing as they neared their destination. He hadn't gotten a new plant lately.

"Ooh," Keoko glanced down the street before crossing.

Akari followed, smiling at the interest on Akio's face that grew the closer they got.

"Come on!" Keoko waved at them.

Akio grunted, not bothered by her demands as he went up to the door, holding it open for them.

Keoko pranced inside, looking around at the different flowers displayed at the front.

Akio instantly went over to some ivys, examining them closely with an expert eye.

"Let's look at the flowers," Keoko grabbed Akari.

Akari nodded, perfectly fine with this idea. "There's a lot."

"Yes," Keoko modded.

Akari carefully picked up a bouquet. "And they're all so pretty."

"Yes," Keoko agreed.

Akio ran his fingers over an ivy leaf, examining it carefully. He liked the red tint to it.

"Saito?" Rin blinked as he rounded the corner.

Akio looked down, seeing who it was, then nodded. He was surprised to see him here.

"Hi, I didn't expect to see anyone from Class today," Rin said, holding a plant in each arm.

Akio took a moment to examine both. "I'm with the others," he said, knowing that would be explanation enough.

"Oh, that's cool, uh Tsukinose followed so I guess she's with me," Rin grinned.

"She doesn't strike me as a follower," Akio said, turning back to the plant he was looking at. He didn't know her well, so he could be completely off base.

"Well she followed me part of the way and then I invited her," Rin said. "Well followed...we were discussing the turn of the 22n'd century thinking on governments."

Akio grunted. He didn't know what to think of that. Tsukinose was an interesting one.

"Yeah," Rin nodded.

"What's that?" Akio asked, pointing at one of his points. This was a subject he understood.

"It's a white rose," Rin grinned. "I'm going to try creating Blue Roses."

Akio's eyes widened slightly at that, interest quickly filling his expression. "How?"

"I've got some experimenting to do," Rin said thoughtfully. "But I'm going to try some grafting..."

Nodding as he saw how much sense this made, Akio found himself impressed. "Let me know what you turn out."

"I will," Rin nodded. "Are you looking for something particular in here?"

Akio shook his head. "No." He shrugged. "Just looking."

"Well the lady up front is really nice," Rin said. "She can help out if you ever need it."

Akio shrugged again. "I might," he said, filing this information away. "Oh, Katou is around."

"He is?" Rin asked, glancing around the isles.

"That way." Akio jerked thumb towards the door. "With Raiji."

"With Raiji," Rin grinned. "I see."

Akio studied him for a moment then nodded. "Keoko and Akari did too."

"Well he said he had something to do today," Rin shrugged.

"Trivia," Akio said by way of explanation as he crouched down, examining one of the plants on a lower shelf. His knee hit it, almost making it fall.

"I did hear him mention something about trivia, no wonder he had all those books out last night," Rin nodded.

Akio chuckled at that. "They seemed to be having fun," he said, basing this on the whispers he had heard between the girls.

"That's good," Rin nodded.

Akio shrugged. "What do you think of that?" he asked suddenly, pointing.

"Oh, a Viper's bowstring," Rin looked at it.

"Worth it?" Akio asked after a moment.

"It's one of the best air purifiers," Rin said. "Definitely worth it."

Akio nodded, picking it up. "Thanks."

"Yeah," Rin nodded.

"Any other recommendations?" Akio asked, thinking he might get one for his mother.

"Golden Pothos," Rin said after a moment's consideration.

Akio waited, knowing he would get an explanation.

"It requires light and air and not much else, so it's pretty easy and one you don't have to worry about during school," Rin explained.

Akio considered this for a moment then nodded. "Do you see it?"

"See what?" Rin glanced around.

"Golden Pothos," Akio said with a sigh. He was used to Keoko seemingly reading his mind.

"It's uh, three aisles over, sorry about that," Rin replies.

Akio shrugged. "It's fine," he dismissed.

"Yeah," Rin nodded. "So uh...you like plants?"

"They're a hobby," Akio said as he nodded his confirmation.

"Same here, I work with them all the time," Rin said.

Interest sparked in Akio's eyes at that. "Where at?"

Rin brightened, giving him the name of the Gardens he worked at.

"I'll stop by sometime," Akio said, wondering if he would bother to take a sibling with him or not.

"You should," Rin nodded. "I work nights."

Akio shifted the plant slightly in his arms. "Expect me soon."

"Will do," Rin nodded, glancing over his shoulder to find Kaori next to him.

Her eyebrow raised, and arms crossed, Kaori looked at him with clear expectation.

"Uh, I ran into Akio Saito," Rin said after a moment of awkward silence.

Akio waved a hand in greeting.

"Um...is there something...I need to do?" Rin asked after another few seconds.

Kaori whipped out a plant from behind her back. "Is this one good?"

"Yeah!" Rin nodded eagerly. "Where did you find it?"

Kaori jerked her thumb in the direction she had come. "That way. There's a lot of interesting things there."

"The basal leaves are amazing!" Rin said.

Kaori looked startled just briefly, then nodded quickly. "It has medicinal properties."

"Yes," Rin nodded. "Now...what is it's name...?"

"Bloodroot," Kaori said, handing the plant to him as she spoke.

"Very good," Rin nodded. "It's a cool plant."

"I look forward to learning about it," Kaori said, thinking all kinds of knowledge never hurt.

"I'll see you later," Akio said, holding up his own plants appreciatively.

"See you," Rin nodded.

Akio nodded in return, slipping off to find the others.

* * *

"Uh...Eizen, could you stay a moment?" Keoko asked, after dragging her weary companions back to the dorms.

Eizen stopped, glancing at her for a moment, then nodded. He wondered what was up.

Waiting for the others to leave, Keoko shifted from foot to foot, talking about their day.

Eizen, not entirely sure what was going on, waited, sticking his hands in his pockets.

"So, I have something for you," Keoko said. "Close your eyes."

Eyeing her for a moment, Eizen closed his hands then held out his hands, not sure what she was going to give him.

Keoko carefully laid the blue cat figurine in his hands. "There." She stepped back, brushing her hands with a satisfied air.

Eizen opened his eyes, then surprise instantly flooded his features. "That's...amazing," he said softly.

"Do you like it?" Keoko asked.

"I...I do. Thank you." Eizen's hands were careful as he ran his fingers all over the surface.

"I'm glad," Keoko smiled up at him. "It really looked like you do I thought you should have it."

"It was very nice," Eizen said softly, glancing down at it again.

"Well it still is," Keoko pointed out.

Eizen laughed softly. "Well, I'll treasure it always."

"I'm glad," Keoko modded.

"You know you didn't have to get me it," Eizen said softly, looking down at the cat again.

"But I wanted to," Keoko replied brightly.

"Well...thank you," Eizen said quietly, feeling as if the words somehow weren't quite enough.

"Uh huh," Keoko nodded. She hesitated a moment, before popping up on her tiptoes and planting a light kiss on his cheek. "Night!" She called, turning and quickly heading for her dorm room.

His eyes widening, Eizen stared after her then gently touched the side of his face, amazement in his expression.

* * *

I laughed as I watched them. Yes! It worked! Lightning cracked outside and thunder boomed as I cradled my precious Ship Note to my chest, power surging through my veins. I, Akari Seishin, had complete control of the world!

This had changed everything.

* * *

A knock on her bedroom door had Akari waking. Yawning, she rubbed her eyes then stretched, wondering how long she had been asleep at her desk. "Just a minute," she called, knowing it had to be Keoko, ready to go out. She quickly turned back to laptop and closed the document. She wasn't ashamed of her fic, but she didn't think she really felt like explaining it to her friends. They would be embarrassed, especially Eizen, she didn't want him retreating to his room for another five days or more. Shaking her head, she stretched then stood. She wanted nothing more than for her friends to be happy and hoped that one day, rather sooner than later, they would realize where they could find that happiness. Shaking her head again, she smiled as she went over to the door. Life here at U.A. was more fun than she could ever imagine. Smoothing a wrinkle out of her shirt that proudly announced her fangirl status with a favorite anime on it, she opened her door.

* * *

 **So if you guys were all "eurg what happened to their formatting, all one line dialogues!" it's because its all a fanfiction written by Akari except for the last bit there at the end. Hope you enjoyed! *showers readers with candy and roses***


	17. Chapter 15

_Reviews with Loki and Alumni:_

 _61394 ~ Ooh you're right! That would be handy! Yep, crafty girl!_

 _Butterfly Chikage ~ Glad you liked that chapter! Actually, the twins are General Studies students! Kaede is so sweet. Great sibling rivalry, and I like that idea *makes note*. Hm I wouldn't call Haruko Rock Lee, just yet...I need to explore his character a bit more and expose for you guys to see._

 _gold crown dragon ~ Yep, its just full out war._

 _SpanishBulldog63 ~ We actually didn't go all out with the lunchroom scene lol! Mentioning it as a catalyst for this event._

 _LifeisBeautiful17 ~ Dream Team is Amazing and so will be this Girl's Night!_

 _Attackin ~ Glad you enjoyed the chapter! Hope you like this next part!_

 _Artesys ~ We are glad characters are growing on you...that means there is some form of character rounding and development!_

 _Supreme Kai of Booty ~ So glad we are playing him correctly!_

 _Thewriter2004 ~ Thanks! We hope you like the ones to come!_

 _Starblitz1312 ~ Glad you liked this "fluff" and introduction to the Class B (sort of) there's more in this chapter so enjoy!_

 _Ajwin11 ~ Aw! Thanks! We hope to keep knocking it out of the park!_

 _MysteryAgain~ Thanks! Here's the long awaited chapter!_

 _SSJC J ~ Glad you liked it! Hope you enjoy this one as well!_

 _To Everyone!_

 _Thanks for all the Valentines Day OVA reviews! Glad we caught a few of you off guard *evil laughter* anyways we thought we might give out some ship names that we just so happen to have..._

 _EizenxKeoko=The Silver Lining to the Rain Cloud/Ekio_

 _RokuroxHanami=Angry Balls of Fluff/Rokami_

 _RinxKaori=Capulet and Montague/Krio_

 _GenjiroxHikari=Logistics v.s. Emotionistics/Hikiro_

 _SutoixHinata=Painted Angel/Sinata_

* * *

He had been right. This was going to be a disaster and if they were caught, Liam was certain that they would all get in trouble. Damn it; just what he needed. He should have left with Saito and Shimizu; they had had the right idea. "We're screwed," he muttered, crossing his arms. The door seemed too far away.

"And this is how you become heroes?"

Liam looked up at the words, finding a boy with dark green curly hair beside him. The expression was one he knew well; he had worn it himself plenty of times. "It's stupid," he murmured, leaning against the wall. Perhaps if he stood here, they wouldn't notice him. He couldn't get kicked out.

"Agreed," the boy snorted.

"Looks like, Youta found a friend!"

A Class B girl approached. Her skin was an odd rainbow like color and even her dark black hair shimmered. The boy, Youta Oreki, scowled making a sort of mocking face.

Shaking his head, Liam scrunched himself into the shadows more, not very interested with even more company. He would rather be left alone.

"Ha ha!" The girl laughed. "He's just like you! Is he like your lovechild or something, Youta?"

"Go away, Fukushima," Youta sniffed. "I don't have time for this. And quit calling people you barely know by their first name. It's embarrassing."

"You don't have time for anything!" the girl laughed some more, before walking off. "People don't mind what I call them. Just make sure they don't get in too much trouble with the teachers!"

They would deserve it if they did, Liam thought with a sigh. Hanko should have known better, but it wasn't just him. It was Mondronen too and he was certain that there was going to be several others getting involved. This has escalated, just like everything always did.

"Oh no, they are fighting again." A girl approached, one paw held over her mouth. "Do you think they will hurt each other?"

"Don't worry, Aokuma," Genjiro bounced up next to her. "Rin's here. Ever since we figured out what Hanko and Rokuro Saito were planning, we drafted Rin to be here just in case."

Rin glanced up from the book, labeled "The Art of War", before glancing at the tension between Hanko and the Class B boy. Rokuro Saito was stomping around, looking for someone to challenge. He waved at Genjiro and Aokuma before returning to his reading.

"Saito," Aina Ito snapped, looking furious as he knocked into her in his pursuit of challenge. She knew all about him; his hot temper was getting quite infamous.

"You!" Rokuro yelled back, realizing he didn't know her name. He arched an eyebrow, trying not to look at the sharp teeth barred at him. "Do you want to fight?"

"It would be my pleasure." Aina would love to take him down a notch

"Let's go then," Rokuro's eyes glinted as he settled into a stance.

Thinking this would be fun, for once glad that Mondronen was a hot headed idiot, Aina swung one of pincers at him.

Genjiro shook his head as Rokuro and the Class B girl starting fighting. Somehow Hanko and the class B boy were still shouting at each other. At this point he wasn't going to figure out what they were saying. Why they hadn't started fighting was a miracle.

"Aokuma, did everyone else leave?" he looked around, noticing a few people remained besides the fighters from Class B.

"Um," Kamin Aokuma glanced around again. "Oh no, there's Minami and Ryu. But no one else wanted to stick around. I think it's because someone mentioned ice cream."

"Oh ice cream!" Genjiro's eyes sparkled. "That sounds good. Ikeda makes a really yummy frozen yogurt. She made it in the General Area and had to share."

"That sounds amazing!" Kamin said brightly chocolate brown eyes brightening. "Maybe we should join them and ask Ikeda to make her frozen yogurt!"

"Well, I think we should make sure everyone stays safe." Genjiro winced as Rokuro Saito crashed into a wall.

It took Shurio Minami a moment to realize who the blond boy with glasses was, but once he did, a pit formed in his stomach. Rin Nakamaru. They had never met, never exchanged any words, but he knew exactly who he was due to the one real thing they had in common. Anamiya Yun. He sighed softly, trying to push away his growing feelings of bitterness and anger. Anamiya had been his best friend, for years, and while he knew that Nakamaru had nothing to do with what had happened, he still felt like he somehow had.

Rin turned the page, absorbed in his reading. He didn't notice the other boy staring daggers at him. After he finished this he had some chess strategies to read up on, but he wanted to finish this chapter at least.

Shurio debated with himself for several moments, then decided to approach him. He would just say him, maybe ask about Anamiya. Even though they hadn't spoken for a while now, he still worried about him; he supposed that would never stop.

Rin looked up, finally feeling someone's eyes on him. He adjusted his glasses, looking up at the Class B boy, with the vermillion, green, and white wings standing in front of him. Whoa, he looked cool. Rin closed the book. "Uh, can I help you?" he asked after a moment of awkward silence stretched between them.

"What are you reading?" Shurio asked, figuring this was a good opening. Perhaps if he got to know him some, he wouldn't be so bitter, so angry, at him. It wasn't his fault, he reminded himself.

"The Art of War," Rin replied eagerly, wondering if this boy knew of the ancient tome. "Have you read it?"

Shurio shook his head. "No, but I've heard of it," he admitted. "It's interesting from the sounds of it."

"It's pretty old, written by a Chinese general," Rin waved at it.

"Mhm, I might have to check it out," Shurio said, wondering how he ever became friends with Anamiya. He had yet to see any similarities.

"I've only met one other person who's read it, it would be nice to know a second." Rin traced the lettering on the cover. "There are a lot of discussion points."

Shurio shrugged, glancing at the book again. "So you know Anamiya?" he asked, barely aware of the question until he had asked it.

"Yeah," Rin nodded, surprised by the sudden turn in conversation. "Do you know him?"

"We used to be friends," Shurio said by way of explanation,the pit in his stomach growing with the admission. "How er is he now?"

"Oh you were friends with Yun?" Rin brightened. "That's cool. He's doing really well!"

Shurio wasn't sure he would describe it 'as cool' and he wasn't sure if Anamiya would either; he should have handled it better than he did. He quickly pushed away the guilt as quickly as it had came. "I was glad to hear he got in with Class A."

"He's doing well," Rin nodded. "You should stop by and see him sometime. The dorms are always open."

At the thought of how well that would go, Shurio suppressed a grimace. "Perhaps," he said, even though he knew that it was likely a lie if anything. "You seem to be doing a good job at keeping him out of trouble," he said, very aware of the time that had been his job. He used to do it so well, something he took great pride in.

"You have it all wrong," Rin shook his head. "He keeps me out of trouble most of the time. He's kinda our group's voice of reason at times. I forget this isn't my junior high sometimes and he reminds me of that…" Rin shrugged, "I'm sure he would be glad to see you. Did you know each other in Junior High?"

"Yes," Shurio said, unable to keep the shortness from the answer. He cleared his throat a moment later. "Actually, even before then."

"Elementary too?" Rin adjusted his glasses that were sliding off his nose. "That's cool! You must know him pretty well then!"

That pit in Shurio's stomach grew. "Once," he said, wondering why Nakamaru didn't have any idea about him; he glanced at his hand, staring at the fingers that had never quite straightened out properly.

"Once…?" Rin caught onto the strange vibe that the Class B boy had been emitting. "Aren't you still friends…?"

"Er, no," Shurio rubbed the back of his head. He was suddenly not able to look him in the eyes anymore.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Rin said softly.

"It's fine," Shurio said, though it wasn't. None of it was. "It was a while ago now."

Not sure what to say now, Rin fidgeted with his book. Well, this had just gotten awkward. What could he say?

"Anyway, maybe I'll see you later," Shurio said, stucking his hands in his pockets. "Enjoy your book." He turned quickly, wondering why he ever thought that could have been a good idea.

"Thank you!" Rin said quickly. Had that been too quick? He winced as Haruto threw the first punch. Well, at least they had stopped screaming at each other. Alright maybe not screaming, but something like it.

Narruk Mondronen staggered back, head thrown back from the punch. His yellow eyes snapped as he let loose a bone chilling howl. Spreading faster than fire, ebony fur spread across his body, crawling up his spine and merging with his hair before darkening his face. His nose seemed to be elongating and growing so that it took up most of his features, becoming a pronounced snout. He dropped onto all fours, lunging at Hanko.

"I said this is my territory!"

Haruto's eyes glinted and he pivoted slightly before slamming his leg at Mondronen. If he wanted a bite he would find it impossible to get through his scales. Almost as Mondronen passed, he slammed his fist down towards his back, hoping to knock him away.

"I don't think this was a good idea," Sutoi murmured, staring with wide eyes at the other two boys. He hadn't been expecting Hanko and Saito to do this, yet he wasn't surprised. He hoped that it wouldn't end too badly for anyone.

"It's not very entertaining, but we need to come up with a plan," Hinata said. "The Yanusus haven't struck at all, and it's making me worried."

Looking away from the other boys, Sutoi nodded slowly. "They're waiting for some reason, but I have no idea why." He was living on pins and needles, but the girls didn't seem nearly as concerned as he was bout it. He wasn't sure why.

"Let's string floss all around their room," Fuyuki suggested. "And put toothpaste in it."

"I like that," Hinata nodded. "Who says we have to take turns attacking? We strike when…"

She stopped speaking suddenly, eyes wide, looking down slowly at the hand against her chest. Red shot into her head, anger more than embarrassment.

"Definitely 38 inches."

Furiously, Hinata spun, facing a boy with a huge, light blue afro. Grabbing his arm, still around her side, she pushed him back, hauling back and landing a punch straight into his nose.

"Leave her alone," Sutoi snapped furiously. That idiot shouldn't have touched her like that, he had no right to. Also, he was the only one who could acknowledge her breasts. He flushed as he suddenly understood his thoughts. He meant...he meant...yeah, best not to go there. She was just one of his friends...right.

"Yeah, don't touch her you pervert!" Fuyuki jumped up in front of Hinata.

Sutoi did as well, growing steadily more angry. It was one thing to look, but another thing to touch... and entirely without her agreement either. What an ass. A part of him wanted to hit him, but he thought Hinata had that handled perfectly.

Jaygun Ryu was holding his nose, laughing as blood spilled through his fingers. "Wow so you're into BDSM. I like it. Super 're cute," he said, red staining his hand as he covered his nose.

Sutoi wasn't one for violence, but he thought he would be alright this time. The boy was absolutely disgusting; why would he be accepted into U.A.? "If you touch either of them again, I'll make your life a living hell," he said softly.

"Like I would touch, Grayskin," Jaygun scoffed. "She's the kid of the disgraced hero, Flame. Like anyone would want to touch her."

"Shut up!" Fuyuki yelled, with an anger that neither of her friends had heard before. "Don't talk about her like that!"

"I think it would be best if you backed off."

Sutoi looked up sharply at the quiet words and his eyes widened as he saw Akio Saito towering over the bastard. He had never seen such a pure look of hate before.

"Holy…" Jaygun looked up at him. "So your A's giant. No tolerance huh? I guess I'll go join the others. See you around ladies."

Akio gave him a long look, as if daring him to seek their company out again. If he heard about another incident like this, he wouldn't hesitate in doing something about it.

Jaygun shrugged, shooting a smug look at them before prancing off. There would be another time to get a feel of the Class A girls. His time would come...it would come.

"Despicable," Akio muttered, voice tight with disgust. Glancing briefly at the girls, he nodded, then turned. He was glad he hadn't actually left when he had thought he was going to; he didn't know what would have happened if he hadn't stepped in when he did. He just wished he had done it sooner.

* * *

It had been far too long. Keoko knocked on the door, crossing her arms and waiting.

Eizen didn't move, hoping he could ignore whoever it was and they would go away. He was sure it was one of his friends, because this was probably the fifth day he had missed class.

"Eizen," Keoko called, knocking again.

Keoko. Eizen sighed. He knew that she wouldn't give up. "What?" he finally called.

"Can I come in?" Keoko asked.

Eizen sighed then after a moment set up and drew back the blankets. Running his fingers through his hair, he went to the door and wrenched it open.

"Hi," Keoko waved.

Propping his arm on the door, Eizen stared at her expectantly.

Keoko held up a brown paper bag. "I brought ice cream," she waved it in front of him.

Eizen surprised, stared at it for a moment, then without a word, dropped his arm and stepped aside.

"Yay!" Keoko skipped into the room, bowls and spoons clattering inside the bag.

Eizen closed the door behind her then went back to his bed, quickly pulling at the blankets so they had a place to sit. He had to admit that he had a fondness for sweats, especially for ice cream, so while he wasn't sure if he was completely up to having company, he appreciated the gesture.

"Blueberry or chocolate?" Keoko asked, pulling out the cartons.

Eizen shrugged after a moment. "Either is fine."

"Both," Keoko decided, dipping up two huge bowls. "Here!" She held it out to him.

Eizen's lips twitched in slight amusement but he took the offered bowl anyway.

Keoko glanced around for a seat, "Your room is really, really, really dark."

Sitting down onto his bed, Eizen motioned for her to do the same. "I suppose so." He actually hadn't noticed.

Keoko sat down her bowl, moving to the heavily curtained window and opening it. "You need some fresh air."

Eizen grunted as he dipped his spoon in his bowl. She was probably right but this was the first time he didn't feel like he was drowning.

Flinging his window open, she took a deep breath before coming and sitting down beside him.

Eizen looked back at his bowl, taking a bite of his ice cream. He was glad for her presence; he had been in his head a little too long.

"So, you've been MIA for like...five days," Keoko glanced at him.

Eizen nodded with a grimace. He had been aware.

"Kōmori thinks it's her fault," Keoko said.

Eizen looked up at that. "Why would it be?" She hadn't really done anything.

"Because she arranged the whole meeting," Keoko responded.

Eizen shrugged. "And I shouldn't have lost control of my Quick," he murmured.

"Oh," Keoko looked concerned. "Is there anything I can do?"

Eizen shook his head, hair flopping in his face. "I'm feeling somewhat better now."

"Really?" Keoko smiled. "Well it's always good to start with fresh air.

Eizen nodded, brushing back his hair again. "Thank you for that, by the way."

"Yeah, oh and ice cream always helps," Keoko nodded.

At that, Eizen huffed a laugh then went quiet. He hadn't lost control in years...he couldn't believe it happened.

"So you wanna talk about it?" Keoko asked.

"About what?" Eizen looked up, forgetting the spoon he held.

"Your quirk," Keoko said.

"Oh," Eizen breathed, taking a moment to stall as he eat another spoonful of ice cream. "There's not much to say."

"Well, say what you want," Keoko said.

Eizen stirred his ice cream for a moment. "It's just hard sometimes," he murmured.

"It's okay," Keoko swing her feet.

Was it? The question gnawed at Eizen. "I should have dealt with it better," he murmured. Just like he should have dealt with Rokuro better.

"You know that's why we are in school, to learn how to deal with our quirks," Keoko said. "You can't be perfect."

Eizen huffed, taking another spoonful of ice cream. "I'm the very definition of not that."

"Well you aren't the worst person on earth either," Keoko pointed out.

"Maybe," Eizen said softly with a sigh. He didn't know if Mura had been right about what he had said concerning him and Rokuro but he thought maybe he was. He didn't know what to do.

"So what's bothering you?" Keoko asked.

"What?" Eizen startled, having got lost in his thoughts again. He had a tendency to do that when he was in this kind of mood, but he definitely saw some improvement.

"You said you lost control, does that mean something bad happened?" Keoko asked.

"Oh." Eizen shrugged a shoulder. "The..." he paused, not sure how to explain. "It gets worse," he tried again after a moment. "My Quirk. It's melancholy manifestation and when I don't have it under control, every day seems...dark." He had trouble getting out of bed, struggled to do even the most basic tasks, when he was like this.

Before Eizen could react, Keoko has wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace.

His eyes widening instantly, Eizen dropped his spoon into the bowl, the metal clanking against the glass. Surprised, he stared down at her, not entirely sure what to do, before very cautiously, he wrapped an arm around her back. It felt nice to know he wasn't alone as he often felt.

"It'll be okay," Keoko murmured, still hugging him.

Placing the bowl down beside him, Eizen hesitated for a moment then carefully wrapped his other arm around her. "Thank you," he murmured. For some reason, he found that he believed her.

Keoko straightened after a moment. "So, will you come back to class next week?"

Eizen quickly pulled away, taking back his bowl and putting it on his lap. "Yeah," he said, clearing his throat. "How much have I missed?"

"A bunch," Keoko said pulling the paper bag over. "I brought the assignments, figured I could tell you what you missed."

Eizen leaned back against the wall, thinking how fortunate he was to have a friend like her. "Thanks."

"And you can't skip anymore classes so you have tonight and tomorrow to catch up," Keoko said.

Eizen ducked his head at that. He couldn't argue with her there. "Right," he said softly.

"And the others have agreed to help as well," Keoko said.

Of course they had. His friends were far more than he deserved. "I may take that offer up," Eizen said, pulling back his hair.

"Yeah because it's a lot," Keoko laughed.

Eizen ducked his head again, not surprised. He had been expecting that. "I'll catch up."

"And I'll help," Keoko nodded.

Eizen began looking through her notes, surprised at how detailed they were. "But don't you three have your own homework to do?" He would feel awful if he took them away from their own responsibilities.

"Pfft with Akio around we all do our homework on time," Keoko laughed. "No procrastinating."

Eizen laughed a little at that. "That's Akio for you," he agreed. He had never seen someone so dedicated to keeping his friends in line.

"You wouldn't believe how much of a slave driver he was when we took entrance exams," Keoko shook her head.

Eizen smirked as he reached for a pen. "I'm sure," he said dryly.

"It will be even worse for the end of the semester tests," Keoko groaned.

"We'll have to somehow survive," Eizen said, not nearly as worried about it as Keoko was. But then again, everything she did was in the extremes.

"Somehow," Keoko shrugged helplessly.

Shaking his head at her antics, Eizen flipped through another page, making a note.

Keoko chatted lightly about all that had happened the past five days. Letting her words wash over him, Eizen nodded absently every once in a while, taking notes as she talked.

"Ooh a bunch of us were thinking about going out tonight for ramen, you in?" Keoko asked.

"Hm?" Eizen looked up, realizing he hadn't been exactly paying attention to what she was saying.

"Wanna go out for ramen?" Keoko asked.

A part of Eizen wanted to say no, but...but he had been alone for a while now and being around others would do him some good. "Alright," he agreed after a moment. "Who with?"

"Well me, Akio, And Akari for sure," Keoko said.

"Then alright," Eizen decided. That was fine. Ramen did sound good.

Keoko grinned, "Good!"

"You wouldn't let me say no," Eizen pointed out dryly, though his expression was somewhat amused.

"Hm you'll never know," Keoko shrugged.

Eizen grunted his doubt at that and took another bite of ice cream.

"Hm we might be spoiling our dinner," Keoko notes, also taking a bite.

Shrugging, Eizen took another bite. "I'm sure it'll be fine."

"Yeah," Keoko agreed.

Eizen lapsed into silence again, going between reviewing the notes and eating his ice cream.

"You should have been there," Keoko clapped her hands. "Hanko and a Class B boy started a fight during lunch."

Eizen looked up at that. He wasn't surprised; it had only been a matter of time. "Who started it?"

"Well Hanko I think," Keoko said. "I think your brother was about to join except the teachers stopped it."

Eizen grimaced at the mention of his twin but nodded anyway. "I'm glad." He wouldn't want to explain that one to his father for sure.

"But it was amazing," Keoko said.

Not sure about that, Eizen simply shook his head. "Did everyone else think that?"

"Well I think so," Keoko shrugged.

Eizen gave a small, amused smile at that. He doubted it himself but he was fine with letting her think whatever it was she wanted to.

"Oh and I think I made some friends in Class B," Keoko said.

"Yeah?" Eizen flipped through another section of notes, making marks at certain places. He wasn't sure if he knew anyone there or not.

"A cute girl called, Aokuma," Keoko grinned. "She's got really pretty blue hair. Her quirk is Polar Bear!"

At that, Eizen forgot all about the notes. "Polar Bear?"

"Uh huh, she can do anything a polar bear can," Keoko said.

"That would be interesting," Eizen murmured, thinking it was no surprise Keoko would decide to be friends with her.

"She's so cool," Keoko said.

Eizen nodded absently, turning his attention back to his work and ice cream. He was glad she had found another friend.

"Class A and B should get together some time," Keoko said excitedly.

"Mhm," Eizen agreed, but making sure he didn't commit to anything.

"We would be great friends," Keoko chatted.

Eizen nodded absently, not sure about that either but going along with it. He and Akio had some similarities, such as neither really liked being around a lot of people.

"Good," Keoko nodded.

One of the things he enjoyed about Keoko's friend, and he was sure Akio would agree, was her ability to hold an entire conversation with herself; she only ever needed minimal input. "Thanks for coming," Eizen said suddenly, remembering he hadn't bothered to thank her.

"Oh no problem," Keoko said. "I love hanging out with friends.

"I know I'm not the best company," Eizen said softly, taking another bite of ice cream. He never was, but especially when he was recovering from loss of control like he was now.

"Pfft you are fineee," Keoko waved.

Eizen raised his eyebrow at that. "Thanks," he said finally after a moment. He wasn't sure about that at all.

"Yeah," Keoko nodded, her dancing pale blue eyes almost serious.

Eizen studied her for a long moment, not entirely sure if he had ever seen her as serious as she was in that moment, then slowly nodded. "You would tell me if it was otherwise right?" he asked softly.

"Of course," Keoko nodded. "I tell Akio if he's bothering me, why not you?"

Eizen ducked his head. "He has shared those stories," he admitted.

"I bet," Keoko pouted.

"Don't give me that look," Eizen said with a sigh when he caught sight of her expression.

"What look?" Keoko asked.

"That look," Eizen said, motioning with his spoon to her face.

"I can't see it," Keoko decided.

"Go look in the mirror. It's there." To Eizen's regret, he finished the ice cream. It definitely helped him feel better.

"Don't want to," Keoko shrugged, storing the remnants of her ice cream.

Huffing a sigh, Eizen went back to flipping through the notes. Akio had warned him how impossible she was. He was learning that more and more.

* * *

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Aizawa looked at his six students, the majority of them looking sheepish, even though they were the ones who didn't exactly do anything. "I would have thought," he said finally, gaze lingering on Hanko and Rokuro Saito, who had yet to go to Recovery Girl about his dislocated shoulder. "That you two would have learned something from that incident in the lunchroom, though clearly I was wrong." He waited a moment, letting shuffling of feet occur. "I have yet to come up with a suitable punishment for this." He kept his gaze on Hanko and Rokuro, letting them understand they would be the two that would have to deal with it. "But Vlad and I will figure something out, for both this class and his. Hopefully, this time, you might actually come away with something learned. "

"Sorry, but I haven't exactly dealt with a dislocated shoulder before," Rin apologized, bowing while keeping his glasses from falling. "I think it would be best to leave it in the hands of a professional nurse."

Aizawa nodded his acknowledgement. "Nakamaru, will you escort Saito to Recovery Girl?" Restricting them to the dorms was an appealing thought.

"Yes sir," Rin nodded. He was eager to learn how to reset shoulders. He shouldn't be so helpless when his classmates were hurt.

Muttering curses the entire way out of the gym, Rokuro followed Nakamaru begrudgingly out the doors.

Shaking his head, Aizawa turned back to the students that remained. "You're dismissed for now," he said, wondering how he always got the most stubborn of students. He supposed they wouldn't turn out nearly as good as they did if they were anything else.

* * *

 _"This work's trash!"_

 _"Ugh, you couldn't do any better than this?"_

 _"I'm sorry, you didn't make the scholarship."_

 _"That's an old style, people don't want this anymore, I'm afraid you aren't a good fit for this gallery."_

 _"You couldn't have chosen another career than art?"_

 _"Garbage."_

 _"Burn it all."_

Hideki Shima shut out the hateful words, letting his paintbrush glide over the canvas, finishing up the last details of of the park. A mother sitting on a bench watching her young child chase the butterflies flitting across the tall grass. Dry leaves of fading color rattled in the trees. Picking up the canvas, Hideki blew lightly across the etched leaves above the child's head. The leaves rattled as they loosened their hold with the sudden breeze, floating down. The child giggled, chasing the leaves as the breeze lifted them again, spinning them around before disappearing as soon as they came. The laughter surrounded him and he forgot all the pain that accompanied his art.

* * *

"Thank you for the making those reservations," Keoko looked around the street. "The food there was absolutely exquisite. You knew the perfect spot!"

"You are welcome!" Reine joined the others after peeking into a closed shop. "Since I don't stay at the dorms I wanted to get to know everyone a bit better than in class! I thought a girl's night would be perfect! That's one of my favorite restaurants ever! I just knew you girls would like it! Tonight's just been about everything that I've dreamed of! So amazing! I feel like I know you all so much more now!"

Kaori, distantly uncomfortable, wondered once again how she had gotten involved in this. Perhaps it was because almost all of the nine other girls had refused to leave her alone, but especially Marseille and Shimizu, until she had agreed to go with them. She exhaled softly; realistically, she couldn't complain. It would be wise to get to know the others better. One never knew.

Akari smiled at Marseille's entherisum. "Well, it's been very fun," she agreed. Somehow, celebrating the fact that girls had managed to keep out of trouble after that incident with Class B had turned into a dinner at one of the fanciest restaurants that Akari had ever been to and a night on the town. She wasn't sure where they were going now but she was having a great time.

Kaede nodded her agreement. "Really fun. I've never been to a place like that before…" Tonight had been quite spectacular. Ever since Eizen Saito had appeared she had been feeling better. She still felt awful for tricking them, but they really needed help. This girl's night had helped take her mind off that so she decided not to think about it.

"It was nice," Hanami agreed, absently adjusting one of her black gloves. It reminded her of the type of restaurant that her parents liked to frequent; she might have to recommend it to them. The desert there had been delicious.

"Thank you," Yukiko said simply. It was sufficient. Though she wouldn't admit it, she did like being around the other girls. She just didn't know how to relate.

Hikari was finding that she was having a lot more fun than she had been expecting to. She wasn't the best at doing things like this, but she was trying anyway. It was definitely a new experience overall.

"So where are we going next?" Akari asked, looking at different shops as they went past them. She hoped they could do this for several more hours yet; the night air was warm and it felt amazing to be out of school.

"Don't know!" Reine replied cheerily. "But it's too early to go back to the dorms. Ooh look at that!" She swerved to the side, looking at a vendor's wares in a street booth.

"I can't believe we weren't given house arrest like Rokuro Saito and Hanko," Hinata said brightly. "Close call. Would not want to be those boys. Aizawa is scary."

"Yeah," Fuyuki nodded. She still felt sick at her stomach. Why had that pervert bully mentioned her mom? She wanted to avoid that topic altogether since then. Fortunately, Hinata seemed distracted by tonight's events.

"They deserved it," Hanami said with a sigh, shaking her head and sending her red hair flying. "If they wanted to be like that and do something that would get them in trouble if found out, then they should have kept being found out."

"True," Hinata agreed, nudging Fuyuki and giving her another pocky stick. "But that makes me want to stay on Aizawa's good side all the time."

"It would be beneficial for us to do so," Hikari agreed, though she didn't really worry about this. The boys were far more reckless than they were, even Hanami.

"What happened again?" Reine asked, jumping out of her conversation with Keoko and Akari. "I wish I had been there!"

"Boys are stupid," Hanami said, tone dismissive. She really thought that was a perfect explanation.

"Oh!" Reine grinned, before asking Yukiko Ikeda what she thought about the tea pots in the shop's windows.

Kaori listened to the other girls' prattle, letting their words wash over her. They were saying more than they realized.

Yukiko nodded, agreeing a couple of times as she listened to Marseille talk. She had liked the red pot best. She glanced over her shoulder, noticing a young man walking past with a large bag. Huh strange. She then noticed the paint brushes and stains on the bag. Must be a street painter walking home.

* * *

Hideki Shima glanced up at the group of young girls walking past. So full of life and passion. He wished it wasn't too dark to paint. They created a beautiful picture of youth. Shrugging he continued down the street, carrying his paintings. So many beautiful things tonight. He wished he could capture them all. It would be another sleepless night, spent over a canvas trying to recapture what he saw.

He turned onto his street, darker than the others. The night breeze tossed his light brown hair against his face. Fumbling in his pocket, he searched for his keys.

"Well, look at you, aren't you the powerful one. Think what you could have done if you had chosen the right profession."

Hideki jumped, heart pounding as he spun around. A scraggly teenage boy slouched behind him carrying a flute? "I don't understand…" He said slowly, backing away from the boy. Despite being older, Hideki felt a threatening aura leaking from the boy.

"I mean, think of what you could do as a villain," the boy said, almost sneering. "Toppled buildings, burned down empires, brought the world to your feet. Your quirk is nearly unbeatable."

Hideki clutched his keys. "B-but I wouldn't hurt...hurt anyone," he stammered. "I'm...I'm not a v-vilain. I just want to paint."

"Is that so?" the boy looked up.

Hideki swallowed hard, stepping back again. The boy's fiendishly yellow eyes sent a chill down his spine. Should he call for help? Was there a hero nearby? Why was the boy being so creepy?

"Just know, you could have been great," the boy shrugged. "Being able to manipulate the things inside your paintings is a power unrivaled. Instead you choose a mediocre life beaten down by the people you admire. I must admit it takes guts, but there must be some part of it driving you insane."

"P-please leave me alone," Hideki felt the wall press against his back.

The boy raised the flute to his lips. "Maybe you still have a chance. If you remember, when the police ask, tell them the Pied Piper sent you."

* * *

 _"This work's trash! Ugh, you couldn't do any better than this? I'm sorry, you didn't make the scholarship. That's an old style, people don't want this anymore, I'm afraid you aren't a good fit for this gallery. You couldn't have chosen another career than art? Garbage."_

 _"Burn it all."_

Hideki grabbed the matches from the top of his stove, breaking the first before successfully lighting the second. Hundreds of paintings piled in the living room of his apartment. All trash, all worthless, all fodder for the fire growing in his mind. Pain, agony, burn it all. Everyone was right. Useless. Burn. Burn. Burn.

First to go was the painting of the park. The match landed, flickering as it turned canvas black, orange as it started to eat at the painted trees, benches, and grasses.

Burn it all.

* * *

"So talking about crushes failed miserably," Kaede pointed out. "How about...our favorite movies?" They were still in the city, reluctant to head back. The night had been to grand to go to bed early. It felt very grown up and heroish to be walking the streets after dark. Not that they weren't safe, no the city was very much still awake.

"I'm not much of a movie person," Hikari admitted, looking briefly at her feet. She felt suddenly very self-conscious, though she did her best to hide it.

Yukiko glanced at Raiji and nodded. She agreed with her, she really didn't watch that many movies.

"That's alright, what do you like to do?" Kaede asked.

"Read," Hikari said softly, looking briefly at Ikeda at her nod. She wondered what kind of a reader she was.

"That's nice," Kaede nodded, wondering how she could relate to that. She didn't not like reading, but she didn't exactly like it either. It was alright.

"I like documentaries," Hikari offered, feeling her face warm a little. That was probably odd for most people.

"Me too," Yukiko added quietly. Especially ones highlighting winter in different countries. One season could be so different around the world and it truly was fascinating.

"What kind?" Hikari asked,interest in her eyes as she looked over at the other girl. She hadn't thought any of them would share her interest like this.

"Nature documentaries," Yukiko decided. "Sometimes animals or history."

Hikari slowly smiled. "I like history...and some nature." Just not anything storm related; she did her best to stay away from those.

"That's neat," Yukiko nodded shyly.

Hikari smiled again, then ducked her head. She really wasn't sure about this whole friend thing, but maybe she could figure it out.

"Guys," Keoko stopped, eyes wide. "Do you smell smoke?"

Hanami was nodding, even before Keoko had finished talking. "I do," she said with a frown. "And I think I see some."

"That building is smoking!" Reine shouted, bolting across the street, hardly looking. "We have to help!"

There was about a thousand reasons as to why they shouldn't, why that was a bad idea and why they should let the professionals handle it, but Hikari found herself ignoring them all as Kinoshita darted after Marseille without a second thought. They couldn't leave their classmates to whatever danger there was. Taking a deep breath, she followed as well, wondering what they were about to get into. This night had suddenly become very eventful.

Fuyuki swallowed hard, glancing at Hinata who already had a can of paint in hand. Smoke. Fires. Another reminder. Shaking herself she chased after the other girls who were already across the street.

The closer they got, the stronger Akari could smell the smoke. Breathing through her mouth, she looked around, trying to figure out what exactly was going on. She hoped no one had been injured in whatever happened.

"What's going on?" Kaede looked up horrified.

The building was smoking, fire creeping up its sides from the middle up, crawling up as if the fire was alive and knew what it was doing. Screams issued from inside.

"Damn," Hanami breathed, eyes wide as she stared at the building for just a moment. The fire was quickly growing by the moment...almost...unnatural quick...she frowned, not sure what she wasn't seeing.

"Ikeda, Kinoshita, take the first; Ikeda, try to stop the fire. The second goes to Marseille and Rakugaki. Seishin, Kōmori, third. Kōmori, Shimizu, fourth. Moto, you're with me. Rescue who you can, then get out.," Kaori said, quickly pulling back her hair. There was no time to wait for help.

"Alright!" the others agreed heartily. Fuyuki nodded, following Tsukinose. This was all so strange. The fire wasn't acting normal. It was like some quirk was causing this.

"Be careful with breathing this in," Kaori warned, reaching for the zipper of her dress as they ran. "This isn't normal." She didn't know what it was exactly, but she would find out. Unzipping her dress, she pulled herself free of it, revealing her traditional dark clothing underneath it.

"Right," Hinata agreed, ripping her dress so it would be easier to run. Too bad she hadn't thought to do what Tsukinose had.

Though she saw the practical side of it, Akari was not about to do the same, as it had cost more than enough. Instead, she hiked it up, then tied it at her knees. "Stay safe everyone," she called, reminding herself that they had gone through a training that had prepared them for this. They would be fine.

Yukiko stared up at the burning building, her eyes widening. This was just like their training exercise. But this, this was different. She could feel the moisture in the air and she could stop this fire. Glancing at Kinoshita, she took a deep breath, running towards the door.

Taking a deep breath, Hanami followed the other girl, intently focused on the task at hand. She began pulling off her gloves as she ran, tucking them in her belt. She wanted to be a hero, but she hadn't thought it would start out like this.

Yukiko slid to a halt beside the door, reaching out. The air around them dropped several temperatures rapidly. For a moment, everything ceased before Yukiko quickly slid back, the flames encased in white ice. But just as she did this, the building kept burning. Her ice wasn't stopping the flames! Panic began to build in her chest. This was just like the training exercise! She was helpless! Why was this happening now when real people's lives were in danger!

"Ikeda," Hanami said, reaching out and grabbing her arm. "Don't panic on me. It's fine, it's all fine." Her mind was working quickly, trying to figure out why Ikeda's Quirk wasn't...Quirk. Her eyes widened quickly. "It's a Quirk related fire. Tsukinose said it wasn't normal and it's not! We can't do anything with it like we could with a regular one."

"I can usually stop quirk fires," Yukiko pushed back tears. She needed to save innocent people from villains who wanted to tear their worlds apart. She needed to save people so maybe her parents would realize she wasn't bad. "I don't...understand!"

"You don't have to understand," Hanami said, shaking her arm slightly. "Not right now. We need to save people; they're counting on us. So you have to get it together."

Save people. She could save people without her quirk. That's what the training exercise was about. It was about learning how to save people without her quirk. Looking up she nodded. "Alright!" she fisted her hands, running in.

Hanami, relieved, followed. She rushed through the doorway, then stopped, taking a moment to stare at the flames. Ice couldn't stop this fire...it was Quirk related...frowning, she quickly snapped one of her gloves back on. This could be a mistake, but somehow she didn't think it would be. She reached out, her hand now gloved, and touched one of the flames. A part of her had been expecting to be burned, even with the specialized leather of her glove, but nothing happened. She inhaled softly, then pulled back at her hand, staring at her fingers. That was...interesting. What was the point of this then? Shrugging, unable to figure out an answer, she tore her glove back off then raced forward again, calling out.

The building groaned overhead, threatening to collapse. People were pouring out in streams, carrying belongings. The girls found themselves arranging evacuation, unable to put out any of the flames. There were no injuries, and after one last check with Kaede's quirk they watched as the building began to crumble. Paramedics arrived as well as firetrucks and Rescue Heroes, who thanked the girls, but told them to stay away. They could get in serious trouble for using their quirks without licenses.

Hinata frowned. "I don't know a lot about fires," she stated, watching the building almost folding up as it continued to burn. "But that one seemed unnatural. Too fast, and I don't think buildings burn like that. It's got to be a quirk but...who's quirk?" She looked around at the people surrounding them.

"They're not here," Kaori said, eyes narrowing as she searched their surroundings. "I'm not sure if they stayed." She frowned, looking once more around then back at the building.

"A pyromaniac always stays," Kaede scowled. She hated that some people enjoyed watching things burn at the cost of people's lives. "Where do you think the Villain could be?"

"If that was the case," Kaori murmured, already beginning to walk as she pulled her dress back on over her clothes. "But I don't think this is. The fire itself didn't physically hurt anyone, which is odd itself, and then there's the bodies that were burned...but clearly not by the fire…and it's certainly not a fire Quirk" she trailed off, expression musing. "But that means...well, that's interesting."

Akari glanced at Kinoshita, sharing a shrug with her. She had no idea where Tsukinose was going with this, as it seemed she was debating ideas with herself, but she was certain she hadn't ever heard her say so much at one time before.

Hikari was watching Tsukinose intently, her eyes narrowed slightly in thought. "Are you saying there's another player involved?" she guessed slowly, horror slowly filling her expression at the other girl's nod. "And they're…?"

"To blame for this near disaster," Hanami finished, piecing together the conversation the other two were having. Her stomach rolled. This had suddenly gotten a lot more complicated.

Akari, lost, stared at the three, wondering how they seemed to have had a conversation with so few words actually spoken between them. What had they figured out?

"What?" Kaede asked. "Clearly there is another player, the one who made the fire. But maybe they didn't want to hurt people? Can they make fire sentient?"

Kaori shook her head, picking up her pace. "It wasn't a fire related Quirk at all. It's certainly a creation based one. Whoever it was, I don't think they were working of their own will. It was destructive, of course, but for the most part, everyone remained unharmed." A Quirk like this...more intriguing than perhaps any others she had encountered before. There were a lot of possibilities with it.

Hanami nodded, looking down at her gloved hand. "I've never seen anything like that before." It had been both amazing and terrifying.

"But how do you know this?" Kaede looked confused. "What was the difference between a fire based quirk and a creation one when you can't even witness the user?"

Kaori sighed, stopping suddenly and turning to face the others. She wished they would catch up; it was unexpected to have anyone keep up with her, but Kinoshita and Rakugaki had done a fairly good job. "Shouto Todoroki is perhaps the strongest fire Quirk user in the country, and even he couldn't control flames like that. Everything that they did had a purpose; there were far less lives lost than there would have been if there was some malicious intent behind them. Also 87 percent of creation Quick users aren't villains; Japan only has five percent of the ones who are and I know for a fact none of them are behind this." She sighed impatiently. "The only logical deduction from all of that is there is someone else pulling the strings." She paused. "I highly doubt this will be the only attack from whoever is responsible."

"That makes sense," Kaede nodded after a moment. "Let's report what you've discovered to the authorities and let them handle it. I'm sure they will be able to track down who's responsible." She still felt guilty for using her quirk, but more so for the reasoning in her head that told her if she hadn't they would have never found the toddler under the bed.

Kaori was already shaking her head as she turned, resuming her walk. "Give me half an hour and I'll have them." She had a chance here and she wasn't about to lose it; she needed to know more about this Quirk, to understand it.

"We can't do that," Kaede argued. "Back there was one thing, if we hadn't had helped out there would be people hurt and dead. That building burned to ash in less than five minutes. Now the Pro Heroes and the Police are involved so we need to let them handle things. I'm sure they would listen to any helpful advice you have, but you can't pursue them on your own."

"I'm not sure how serious they would take anything coming from me," Kaori dismissed, continuing to walk. "Besides, it'll take them far too long to be able to do anything about him. There's no point in waiting for him to hurt someone else."

"We are U.A. students I don't think a Pro Hero would take us for anything but serious," Kaede replied. "We can't go outside the law on this, it's too risky. We could get expelled."

"Expulsion of ten students for doing what a hero would do?" Kaori snorted. "Doubtful. Besides, they won't do anything about that idiot in class B so why would they do it to us? If it makes you feel better, I'll take whatever blame is given." She was also fine with doing this by herself.

"I'm not trying to give out blame or lessen my responsibility," Kaede clenched her teeth. "I'm just trying to make sure we follow the rules given to us by society. If we don't do that then what are we? Villains?"

Kaori sighed at the other girl's stubbornness; Kōmori would have to learn to see past her perceptive of what makes something 'right' if she wanted to find her full potential. "Look. Someone once told me that sacrifices must sometimes be made for the greater good. Today, that's what are deemed rules." She paused. "We are helping someone. That's what heroes do."

"Please, let's just get a Pro Hero to help," Kaede said after a moment. "If we break the laws now, then who's to stop us from justifying our way through our entire lives?"

"I think we should go ahead and do what Tsukinose suggests," Reine looked determined. "She's right, we're just kids and who would believe us? Besides if someone is hurting because of a villain then they are just as much a victim as those people back there. We've got to help them!"

"Guys, Kōmori is right," Fuyuki shoved her hands into the pockets of her dress. "Heroes can't break the laws, it only leads to trouble and disgrace."

Hanami shook her head, reaching down and fixing a strap on one her high heeled shoes. This was ridiculous. "Why don't the ones who want to go with Tsukinose go and the ones who don't, don't?" she asked, seeing no point in this discussion.. Tsukinose was right about this.

"I know," Akari said slowly, looking between all the other nine girls. "That we all have good points." Rather they did or not, she was able to see everyone's side to this. "But I also know that we're being taught loyalty and teamwork as part of class A; we're a team, aren't we? So let's find compromise. Thirty minutes...if she can't find them, then we go to the authorities and try them."

Kaede bit her lip. She had already compromised tonight, using her quirk without a license. Now it had lead to this. Clenching her hands into fists she closed her eyes. "Alright...thirty minutes. But...that's all."

Kaori nodded at Seishin, somewhat impressed by how she handled it, then she turned again. "That's all I'll need," she promised, letting her mind wander over several different possibilities and options. "You won't regret this, Kōmori."

"As your classmate, I trust you," Kaede nodded. "You'll do the right thing."

Kaori's lips quirked, just slightly. Trust was an interesting thing; not many placed it in one from her family. "We're getting close now," she said, ducking in an alley. She was sure of it. Her destination was the most logical place.

"How do you know all this?" Keoko asked, eyes wide as they passed into the dark street.

"I like to find connections and patterns in things," Kaori said, glancing at the bricks of a building they walked past. That was perhaps why she had taken to chess as much as she had.

"You should have become a detective or something," Keoko marveled. "It's kinda amazing."

Akari nodded, eyes wide as she stared at the other girl. Tonight was showing a whole new side of her. "It is."

Kaori shrugged. "Wouldn't work with my family," she dismissed, then slowed, pointing up to the third level of a clearly abandoned building. "I think we have them."

"You'll be the Detective Hero," Keoko grinned, before sobering. "There's smoke coming from inside," she noted quietly. "What do we do now?"

Kaori was silent for a moment, thinking, then nodded to herself. "I'm going in," she said, beginning to retrace her steps back to the door she had seen earlier.

"What if the villain is in there?" Hinata asked. "Are we allowed to fight them?"

"He's not," Kaori said, jerking up the door as quietly as she could. She had seen no signs of him and besides, she didn't believe he was the type to stick around.

Hikari glanced at Kinoshita, who just shrugged. She wasn't sure just how they got into this situation, but here they were and she wasn't sure what they were going to do now, much less if they really had made the right decision by coming. But Seishin had been right; loyalty among teammates was critical and she was glad she was with them.

"We need to help this poor person," Reine said firmly. "It's our job as aspiring heroes to do our best to help them!"

"Then let's go," Kaori said, deciding they had wasted too much time as it was. With those words, she stepped into the building, her eyes adjusting quickly to the dark.

"This must be a horrible place to live," Keoko said softly, noting the severe poverty of the place.

"I must be," Akari said softly, also noting the same things that her friend was. "How many people do you think live around here?"

"Probably a lot of people live in this kind of building," Hinata said. "It's a place where you would find homeless people or illegal immigrants."

Akari sighed softly, shaking her head. "I wish they could get more help. This isn't right."

"No it isn't," Reine shook her head. "None of this is. We have to change this someday."

Hanami nodded, her lips pressed together. She hadn't realized just how badly some people fared; she knew it was because of her somewhat out of touch life, yet she also knew it was no excuse. "We will," she said firmly.

"This must be it," Fuyuki said, curling her nose. The smell of smoke crept under the door and there was a thudding sound from within.

Kaori nodded, staring at the door for several long moments of pure intensity. "Be on your guard everyone," she warned. She didn't want any of them to be harmed.

"We are," Keoko nodded, feeling nervous about this whole thing.

Figuring that was good enough, Kaori reached down and opened the door carefully, keeping her hands wasn't worried, they weren't in danger yet, but she felt she needed to do all the prevention measures she could.

Hideki Shima fingered another painting, staring at the fire he had created in his bathtub. "Trash, garbage," he muttered, before throwing it into the flames.

Of all the things Hanami had been expecting, it hadn't been this. She stared, eyes wide, at all the paintings.

Kaori stepped closer, fascination in her eyes. She hadn't seen anything like this ever before.

Paintings filled every corner of the room ranging from still lifes and landscapes to portraits and fanciful designs etched onto the walls. It was a myriad of colors, though the stench of smoke ruined the entire feeling of the place.

After a moment, Kaori nodded to herself, the rest of the pieces connecting for her. She stepped closer, making sure she wasn't being quiet. No use in making him panic by taking him off guard. "These are amazing," she said, looking at one with a snowy landscape. The detail was stunning.

"These look like the old style of painting," Keoko said after a moment. "They are so beautiful."

Kaori nodded slowly, examining another with narrowed eyes. "Not all Quirk," se murmured to herself. He had the talent, one which he should be using more than he was.

"Where is he?" Reine asked, admiring the paintings. A loud thud from another room answered the question.

Kaori waved a hand in that direction, then sniffed the air. "There's where the smoke is coming from."

"Then let's go," Reine said determinedly. "We can't delay here any longer."

Kaori didn't hesitate, simply moving forward to the door. She was curious to put a face to the skill.

Hideki Shima tossed another painting into the flames, ignoring the thickness of the smoke around him. Why weren't the voices stopping? He was doing what they had told him. Get rid of it all!

Hanami's eyes were watering when the door was opened, yet when she saw the man, and what he was doing, she forgot all about them. Surprise filled her features as she stared, eyes widening more by the moment.

Shima jumped, seeing the girls standing in the entrance of his bathroom. Smoke burned at his eyes. They were just here to criticize his work, just like the other voices. He picked up another painting, walking over to drop it into the flames with the others.

Kaori was gripping it tightly, preventing it from finishing its fall as he let it go. "Who told you it wasn't amazing?" she asked, meeting his eyes. His eyes were unfocused, she noted.

"Who are you?" he shouted, stumbling backwards. "Get back!"

Kaori didn't move, simply held onto the painting. She was understanding more and more by the second. "We're fans of your work," she said smoothly.

"What?" Shima stared at them, chest rising and falling heavily. "Get out!" He yelled.

"Do you really want that?" Kaori didn't move. "Like you really want to destroy all of this? You shouldn't. It's lovely."

"It's all trash, garabage," Shima groaned, staggering slightly as he reached for another painting. "Useless."

Kaori had always struggled with the whole comforting thing, but she was doing her best; she knew many things, but how to properly console someone wasn't one. She hoped someone else would be able to help her with this. "It isn't," she said firmly. "None of it is. It's all wonderful. Why do you insist it isn't?"

Seeing what she was trying to do and beginning to understand what was going on, Hanami reached for the painting, wrestling it from his hands. "Don't give up on your talents; that's stupid. Treasure your gifts."

"No don't take it!" Shima panicked launching at the girl who had taken the painting.

Hanami stepped back quickly. "I'm not going to let you destroy something so wonderful." She didn't know the first thing about art, but she could appreciate it with ease.

"You don't understand," Shima fell to his hands and knees, coughing from the amount of smoke he had inhaled. "It's worthless! Everyone says so!"

Akari kneeled beside him, worry in her eyes. She didn't know what was going on but she knew they had to help him. "They're wrong. Everyone who thinks that is wrong," she said firmly, wiping at her eyes which stung with the smoke. How could anyone think that?

"I've got to burn it all," Shima launched himself upward at the girl again. "Burn it all!"

Reine stepped in-between them, grabbing the young man's arms to steady him. "Hey, it's going to be alright! It's not safe to have a fire in the house." Out of the corner of her eyes she could see Yukiko and Keoko putting the flames out. "Look I know it seems like everyone hates your work, but we don't, and that counts for something, right? What your doing, its causing a lot of harm to people outside. You need to stop for their sake as well as your own."

"It's too late," Shima's eyes shone glassy, as if he wasn't entirely there.

"It's never too late," Reine said, with the same assurance she had as a child. "Never!"

"She's right," Akari said quickly, grabbing the man's hands and squeezing them tightly. "No matter what, it's not." She hoped they were going to be able to get through to him about this; his clear heartbreak was making her heart break as well.

Shima stared at them, blinking hard. His eyes crossed, then realigned before rolling back into his head. He dropped unconscious to the ground.

"Let's get him out of here, the smoke is too strong," Reine hopped up.

"Alright, while you do that, I'm going to call the police," Kaede pulled out her cellphone. "Is the fire out?"

"All taken care of," Keoko nodded. "Yukiko even preserved the paintings in there!"

Kaori sighed, not exactly pleased with Kōmori's decision, yet a promise was a promise and she wouldn't go back on her word. She glanced down at the unconscious man. She might have to call in a few favors to get what she was wanting from him.

"They really are beautiful," Hikari said quietly as she helped Kinoshita get the man up. The taller girl had most of his weight, but she took what she could. She wished she knew more about what was going on, and judging by Kinoshita's face, she did too. At least they helped him.

"Here, let me help," Hinata grabbed one of his ankles. "You know it isn't my style, but it's certainly something. I wonder why he thought it was trash."

"My guess is whoever is behind this," Kaori murmured, picking through each painting. They told her quite a bit about the artist. "I'm curious to see who else he's done this to. This won't be his first time, I'm certain."

"Well, we can inform the police and Pro Heroes, they are on their way," Kaede said.

"Do you think we're going to get in trouble?" Akari asked hestitately as she started to the stairs. She didn't care if she did, they did the right thing after all, but she didn't want the others too.

"Probably," Kaede sighed.

* * *

Very serious trouble. All ten girls had been sat down by the Pro Heroes and police alike and given even longer lectures than before. Kaede didn't allow Tsukinose to take the blame, knowing she had responsibility too and they all needed the lecture.

"Well, that was a first," Hanami said brightly as they were finally released. She didn't like lectures, who did after all, but no matter how many she got, she wouldn't regret it for a moment. They had done what was right.

"Think we should head back?" Fuyuki asked, vaguely wondering what would happen to the man now that he was in custody.

Hikari glanced down at her watch. "We're supposed to be back by 11, right?" She wondered just how much trouble they were going to get in when they got there. She hoped not a lot.

"Right, that's our curfew, leave it to our great class rep to keep us on track," Keoko said cheerily. "But first let's get a group selfie!"

Hikari blushed, then cleared her throat. She had known class rep would be a good fit for her, but she still wasn't used to the fact that everyone else did as well. "Alright," she agreed.

Hanami pulled out her phone, then looked around. "Where at?" She could never say no to selfies. Besides, she had such fun tonight, she never wanted to forget any of it.

"Over here, under these cool lights!" Reine grinned. "Perfect place to commemorate girls night!"

* * *

"I thought you were on house arrest," Rin pointed out. He glanced around, expecting to see Aizawa there at any moment.

"No one said I couldn't get food or ice for my eye," Rokuro snapped irritably. "Besides I needed out of there."

Akio exhaled softly, wondering how a simple trip to get food escalated so fast. Not pointing out that they had been planning on bringing Rokuro back food, he shook his head, hoping they could all make it back without too much trouble. He fully expected them not to with Rokuro now here.

"You know I'll find it somehow," Yajima spread his hands, unburdened by food like the other three. "Maybe I'll just ask her myself."

Very rarely did Akio lose his temper, he could count on three fingers the times it had actually happened, but he was getting pretty close to having to use a fourth. "Leave Keoko alone," he said, glowering down at the other boy through the purple hair that fell over his face. He wasn't like the ass from class B, much more harmless, but he was just as annoying.

Unaffected by Akio Saito at all, Yajima kept walking, wondering how he could get her number. He jerked as some rude uncultured man pushed past them.

"Excuse you," Yajima said haughtily to the passing gray figure.

Rin shivered as the man turned back, glaring at them with gray-green eyes. Something was wrong with that man, his eyes were all crossed. Suddenly, a pulse seemed to emit from him, hitting the small group.

"Guys, I think…"

* * *

 _"Why won't you give me your pretty girl's number? Is it because you two are romantically involved?"_

 _"That is definitely not a legal chess move."_

 _"You can't tell me to stay put!"_

 _"She's not my girl and we're not anything but friends."_

 _"It is too. Which one of us has been playing since she was two?"_

 _"Well, someone has to try and keep you out of trouble, you idiot!"_

* * *

Yajima blinked, wondering why he could see the sign of the shop next to them. First of all, he was certain it was above walking levels and he couldn't normally see it unless he backed up. Secondly, where did everyone go? Wait, why was everything just appearing in color? Yajima reached up, patting his face. Those were definitely eyeballs. When did he get eyeballs? He narrowed his eyes, blinking. Well this was new. How had that happened? Oh yes, he was supposed to be looking for the others, where did they go? He glanced down, having to grab the building next to him. Such a long way down! Now that he knew he was this high up it was kinda freaking him out. How'd he get up here? He didn't remember climbing up something. Phew, he was getting light headed. Not enough oxygen up here! What was this stringy stuff all around. Picking some up he glanced at the color. He didn't recognize it, but it certainly wasn't black and his hair was always described to him as black. Wait a minute…

He nearly screamed when he saw his own body.

"What the hell is going on?" Akio breathed, running his fingers along his hair. But it wasn't not really; it wasn't nearly as long as it should be. He didn't understand what was going on. He couldn't really see anything other than gray and his height...there was something different about it. He felt short, like when he had been eleven and under six foot. Dropping his and, he glanced up then instantly froze when he saw who was staring back at him. His body...but not. What happened? None of this was making sense.

"What did that asshole Saito do now?"

The scream of what could only be described as pure rage, followed by the unmistakable sounds of an explosion drew Akio's attention and he jerked his head in the direction, finding Rokuro Saito was the cause...but while it looked just like him, even with the new gray tint of his vision, it couldn't be him. There was only one person who ever called him that...it couldn't be...yet it could and was, he realized with a growing horror washed over him. But it was the only thing that made sense, even though it actually didn't. "We've been switched," he murmured, looking back at his body and wondering just who was in there instead of him. How were they going to get out of this one?

"Well, this is an inconvenience," Kaori said with a sigh, glancing down at Rin's hand; however, technically it was hers now she supposed.

* * *

"What…?" Rokuro blinked, wondering what had just happened. Wait why was he surrounded by all the girls in Class A? Weren't they out shopping or something girly? Oh hell that meant Kinoshita was here and he'd have to hear another tongue lashinging. And why was he holding a glittery phone? Also why was his chest suddenly so heavy?

Rin blinked in surprise as he opened his eyes. First the pulse and now this. Wait what was he doing here? The girls hadn't been here before. Whoa. Those weren't his hands. And...this wasn't his body. Panic spread through him as he looked down. Why was he in a dress? What was going on?

Why on earth was he a girl?

"Everyone squeeze in close," Keoko Shimizu called. "Say cheese!"

* * *

 **Wow that was longer than I realized...Oh well hope you guys enjoyed! Well girl's night isn't quite over and "Guy's Night In" is our next chapter! Also we are now all prepared for the Sports Festival which will begin right after Guys Night In!**


	18. Chapter 16

_Reviews with Loki and Alumni_

 _Supreme Kai of Booty_ : Haha, that's for later, don't worry. We're glad you like Painted Angel. Mirai is definitely going to be a lot of fun when she comes into this. We also hope you enjoy the boys' night in! Thanks for reviewing!

 _gold crown dragon_ : We have a lot planned for Anamiya, the poor boy. (Loki has way too much fun with him) Glad you liked the chapter!

 _61394_ : Glad we surprised you with this! You should like everything that happens in this chapter. Akio is...Akio *shrugs*

 _Firealis:_ Youta and Liam...the beginnings of a beautiful friendship we think. Thank you for mentioning that...we'll get right to it. Yeah, Anamiya and Shurio do have an interesting dynamic. Loki is very flattered about your Akio compliment and she says she is very happy that you like him so much. Eizen and Keoko are a very precious duo, with whatever relationship between them. We hope you enjoy the next few chapters and how everything plays out!

 _Thewriter2004:_ Thank you so much! We hope to continue to improve with each chapter.

 _Attackin:_ Well...spoiler alert here but you'll get your wish about Hanko and Rokuro sooner than later. But all will be revealed before you know it. Glad you enjoyed the chapter!

 _alucard deathsinger_ : Thank you so much for all the kind words! The wet noodle imagery was simply hilarious and gave us a good laugh. There is a rather good chance that was the reasoning behind the post date but we will neither confirm nor deny the accusation. We had a lot of fun with this chapter and non angry! Rokuro was part of the reason. Hope you enjoy what we've done in this chapter!

 _LifeisBeautiful17:_ The Class B students are a bunch of fun kids, for sure. Eizen and Keoko are definitely very cute. Your comment about a girl's night and fire was priceless; we got a good giggle from it. And they are very much more mature...but don't tell the boys that lol. But things will be revealed soon(ish) concerning the Piper and we think you'll enjoy all the things we have in store. Glad you enjoyed the chapter and hope you enjoy this one too!

 _Artesys:_ We're happy to hear that you're liking the ships (no worries- Hikari and Genjiro will definitely have some awesome scenes together) as well as Class B characters. We think they're just as important as Class A, but in their own way. We'll make sure to update the character list ASAP.. Loki grinned at your commentary about Ruy and the girls (we really do love our girls) But yes, we do have the beginnings of a squad there with those three gals. Kaori...she's a different one, that's for sure. But that is explained a bit here in chapter sixteen. Thank you so much!

 _Starbitz1312_ : We plead the Fifth on Kaori and Rin's ship name and what it all means but Genjiro is definitely the "embodiment of a golden retriever." The Eizen and Keoko had to be one of our favorite scenes we've written yet. It was a very sweet, and just as important, time. We're glad you liked all the shenanigans of the girls' night out and Pied Piper is on the creepy side. We think you'll like this (long overdue) chapter than!

 _Butterfly Chikage:_ *Shrugs innocently* Ships or no ships...we're just going to have to see how it all plays out. Yeah, it actually is...and Liam definitely does need more friends lol and as you pointed out, they're both very emo so it works out extremely well. We're very glad the Class B kids were such hits. We'll see more of them for sure. You calling Rin their in-class physician gave us a good laugh but very true; they've got a good thing going, especially those angry bois of ours. Shurio and Anamiya are a very complicated duo for sure...explanations will come! Narruk is an interesting guy..and yes it does actually! Jaygun is...something else for sure. But yeah, he's got some lessons to learn. Kizen is very precious. Thank you so much; it's always good to hear if we're doing characters true. Actually why they didn't get in that much trouble is somewhat addressed in this chapter and explained fully in the next we believe. Hahahha, awkward sums it up perfectly. But thanks for reading and enjoy this slight break in the madnesss...Sports Festival is up next!

 _MysteryAgain:_ We're happy that you liked it! Hope you enjoy this next chapter too!

* * *

 _A few hours earlier…_

"I'm really happy with it," Anamiya said, pride in his voice as he showed off his new ivy. With Kito having to cancel lessons this afternoon for some reason, he had spent his free time at a new greenhouse that had opened along with Rin. Now they were back and Akio Saito had come over to see what they had gotten.

"It'll add a lot to your room," Rin agreed, touching one of the leaves. "It probably needs some water."

"Isn't that a Needlepoint?" Akio asked finally, interest in his eyes as he leaned against the wall, his attention now to what Nakamaru was holding. He did his best to slump often, very aware of just how much he towered over people and how uncomfortable that could make them.

"Yeah! Needlepoint holly, I bought it so maybe Mr Aizawa wouldn't see the bush I accidently defoliated," Rin held it gently.

Anamiya choked at that and after a moment, he cleared his throat. "I'm pretty sure he's probably already noticed," he offered, shuffling his feet.

"He has," Akio dismissed, as he nodded his approval of the two plants. Hollys and ivies were two of his absolute favorite things. Aizawa noticed everything. "You two seem to know your stuff."

Rin sighed heavily, "Well, alright then. So what's going on here? I see Crook and Rushaindo are here…is something going on?"

Akio shook his head. "I don't think so." He really had no idea what they were doing, considering neither actually lived here. He was just waiting for Eizen Saito to go over homework. Keoko had threatened them both, saying they didn't need to be locked in their rooms while her and Akari were gone on their evening out. Akio had promised he would at least try.

"Well it looks like it, those two aren't usually here," Rin pointed out.

Akio shrugged again, not entirely sure what to tell him. He prefered staying out of others' business. "It might have to do with Rokuro Saito and Hanko's house arrest."

"I think it might," Anamiya said slowly, looking over at the doorway. "And those two." Genjiro, along with Daitenshi, were coming into the room, carrying what appeared to be board games and stacks of movies. He suddenly got a very bad feeling about this and judging by the look on Akio Saito's face, he had had the same thought: socialization. But if that was the case, why was Crook here? He was even worse than Anamiya, Akio and Eizen combined, or close to it.

"What's all this?" Rokuro growled, leaning his head backwards over the couch at the two who had just entered.

"A little moral booster and team bonding," Genjiro replied happily. "I think it would be great to hang out just the guys, especially since the girls aren't here."

Sutoi nodded with a smile. "We brought some fun things to do," he said, showing off his collection of games. He thought it would be a lot of fun.

"Plus we bought a bunch of both our movies, since the girls probably won't be back until eleven," Genjiro added. "Great dude bonding time."

Akio grunted, not entirely sure about that. It didn't sound great to him at all.

"I…" Anamiya glanced at Rin. He didn't think he really wanted to but he really didn't want to let Genjiro down.

"Yeah sounds fun!" Rin grinned. "I don't have work tonight so this is great!"

"I…" Anamiya glanced around uneasily. He wasn't comfortable at all around so many people but he had both Genjiro and RIn there and he had found a kindred spirit in Akio so perhaps it wouldn't as bad as he thought. "I'll try it," he muttered.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine," Rin faced Anamiya. "You like chess? Tsukinose and I haven't played since we got into that argument about a certain rule…"

"I've never played," Anamiya admitted, grimacing as he remembered that. Kaori had stormed in and quite literally threw a book on chess rules at Rin. Apparently, she really didn't like being challenged.

"Well, maybe I should stick to something a bit milder," Rin rubbed the spot on his head where the book had made an indent. "You like any of those board games?"

"I…" Anamiya trailed off, examining them for a moment. "That one is fun." Perhaps this really wouldn't be so bad.

"Ooh, looks fun," Rin examined it. "Hm, needs four players." He glanced around the room at the others. Perhaps Akio and Genjiro would join them.

"I'll join," Akio said, then jerked his thumb at Eizen who had just stepped into the room. "He will too." He knew Keoko and Akari would somehow just know if they didn't stay and he didn't want another lecture from Keoko about being antisocial and all that. If he had to stay, so did Eizen. Misery loved company.

"Great!" Rin nodded, glancing at Anamiya. "You good for this?"

Anamiya nodded slowly, feeling considerably less overwhelmed now. "That'll be good," he decided, sitting down as Genjiro did as well. He and Rin made the world a lot less...terrifying, he thought the word was.

Liam, sitting on the very corner of the couch, sighed. He wasn't sure why he was still here, but he was. Perhaps because he was certain that if he left, he would miss something and it was always good to keep an eye on strangers. There was also a part of him that might enjoy Rokuro Saito and Haruto Hanko. They were stupid but at least they were honest; anger always helped people embrace truths.

"Oi! Eizen!" Rokuro shouted across the room. "So you finally decided to show your face again?"

In that second, Eizen really wanted nothing more than to leave. "Rokuro," he said softly, wondering if he could simply sink into his chair.

"I told Kaede this, and I'll tell you," Rokuro sat cross-legged on the couch. "I'm not going to any more of these group therapy lessons."

"I wouldn't expect you too," Eizen said softly, having no intentions of doing so either. He couldn't go through it again.

"Alright," Rokuro shrugged, glancing at the movie waved in front of his face.

Eizen's eyes widened, then very slowly he relaxed. Was that it? He had been expecting more. Rokuro was being unusually nice tonight; he didn't understand but he wasn't going to complain.

Hanko flopped down beside Rokuro Saito, tossing the remote control over and flipping the movie case a few times. He noticed Liam was hanging out around them.

Relaxing a bit, Anamiya began picking out the pieces of the game that were needed. He thought maybe this would actually turn out to be fun; he hoped the girls were having a good time tonight as well.

"I ran into an old friend of yours in Class B earlier this afternoon," Rin said casually. "Uh his name was Minami."

Anamiya froze, a piece in hand. "Oh." His voice came out slightly faint. That had been a name he hadn't heard in a while.

"He seemed to be good, maybe you should get together sometime, he said you knew each other in elementary," Rin glanced at him.

"It was a long time ago," Anamiya murmured, forcing his fingers to relax the piece. How fast all those years of friendship had been lost.

"Yeah?" Rin asked. "Well you both got into U.A. so that's really neat. Maybe all that is in the past," he suggested.

"Maybe," Anamiya said softly, staring down at the table as he fought to ignore the tightness in his chest. Why couldn't his past just stay there? He thought he would have a fresh start after getting accepted here, but it seemed he was wrong.

"If you want to," Rin shrugged. "Who knows."

"I don't know if I do," Anamiya said softly. He really didn't know what he thought, much less felt.

"Alright, well let's put that aside," Rin said, feeling guilty for bringing the subject up now. It obviously made Anamiya uncomfortable. "Let's just have fun tonight."

"I'm glad you told me," Anamiya said, managing a small smile. This hadn't been a topic he had wanted to ever discuss again, but at least he had been given a head's up about it.

"Uh, yeah," Rin nodded quickly, moving his piece. "Hey did you notice Rokuro Saito seems to be rather...calm?"

"Yeah," Genjiro grinned. "He is, and I know the reason…"

Eizen looked up sharply at that, his eyes giving away what he was wondering.

"Alright so I'm pretty sure he yelled himself out because he and Kinoshita had a fight over him fighting with Class B. She said it wasn't befitting of Class A and they went round and round from the nurse's office back to the dorms until the girls left. Also I'm pretty sure Kinoshita outmaneuvered him a few times and word is...he's sulking," Genjiro finished his tale with a satisfied smirk.

Eizen opened his mouth, then snapped it closed not a moment later. A second passed, then his lips twitched. He didn't say anything as a response, but found it explained quite a bit about his brother's behavior. Well, it seemed someone finally was able to match Rokuro's wills

His eyes widening, Anamiya instantly looked over at Rokuro, then back at Genjiro. "Oh," he said, having not expected anything like that. He was glad he had missed it.

"I think somewhere between then and there, Crook came in with Hanko and joined up with Rokuro Saito," Genjiro nodded. "And now I think all three of them are friends, which is good!"

Akio had to admit he was somewhat surprised by this, but he shrugged it off. Maybe Rokuro and Hanko did all the talking for Liam like the girls did for him and Eizen.

Rin moved his piece after sharing a brief laugh with Genjiro. "Well I guess so," he nodded. "Your turn, Yun."

* * *

 _Three hours later…._

When his stomach growled, Anamiya threw down his cards; he had been getting beaten anyway and hunger seemed to be a good reason to give in before it got worse. "I'm starving," he said, running his fingers through his hair then leaning back. It was past dinner time but he hadn't really noticed until now. They had played several different games, joined halfway through by Daitenshi.

"I am too," Rin agreed, dropping his cards. No matter how hard they tried they couldn't beat Eizen at spoons.

"We should get some take-out," Genjiro said excitedly. "What sounds good to everyone?"

Eizen shrugged a shoulder. He was fine with anything.

"Curry?" Sutoi suggested, though he was fine with anything. He was too hungry to care at this point. He guessed they were having too much fun to stop until now but his stomach wasn't happy.

"I might know a place," Akio said, glancing up from his phone. His sister Eimi had been after him for weeks to try it and if they went tonight, he would finally get her to stop bugging him.

"As a gesture of my love and appreciation of my fellow students I would be happy to fund this," Yajima said elegantly.

Akio shrugged, sliding his phone back into his pocket. He was fine with that. Their order was going to be fairly expensive considering they were buying for ten.

After several minutes it was decided who would be going to retrieve the food. Akio Saito, who knew the restaurant's location, Yajima Rushaindo, who had the money, and Rin Nakamaru, who would make sure the selections were reasonable and that all the food got back safely. These three were ushered out the dorms with strict orders to come back quickly.

"So, uh, lead the way," Rin looked up at Akio Saito as they left the front gate.

Glad that Nakamaru had come with him, because Rushaindo had the easy ability to give him a quick headache with all his talking, Akio stuck his hands into his pockets and began walking down the street. He hoped his sister was right about this place. Something caught his eye and he frowned slightly. Was that…? His frown grew. He hoped not.

"It doesn't seem to be too far from the school so that's good," Rin said as Akio briefly explained the directions. "We should be able to get back to the school in no time."

"Good, because I'm starving."

Akio sighed softly. He had been hoping he hadn't seen who he had thought he had seen. "Rokuro."

"What are you doing out?" Rin's voice squeaked in surprise. "You are supposed to be confined to dorms!"

"It's too stuffy back there, I needed clean air," Rokuro shrugged, looking unimpressed by the mention of his house arrest. "I don't need anyone telling me what to do."

Akio stared up at the sky for a long moment then taking a deep breath, he began walking again. It was Rokuro's decision.

"That could get you in real trouble you know," Rin looked doubtful.

"What, who's gonna tell, you guys?" Rokuro challenged, shooting them all sharp, blue-eyed glares.

Akio raised an eyebrow, but didn't otherwise react. He was honestly surprised Hanko hadn't joined them.

"Well whatever you want to do, do it," Yajima offered helpfully.

Rin sighed, the trip to the restaurant seemed to take no time at all, everyone seeming to stay quiet on the journey up. However, after the food was retrieved, matters took an entirely different turn.

"Akio Saito," Yajima cleared his throat. "I suppose you would have Miss Shimizu's phone number?"

Of all the things Akio had been expecting, it wasn't this, though he wasn't surprised. He had been fending off other boys for Keoko ever since they were twelve, rather she was aware of it or not. He ignored him, hoping that would solve the issue.

"She's one of the prettiest girls in the class, and I want to try her out," Yajima insisted. "I'd like to get her number."

Praying for patience, Akio shook his head. "No," he said simply.

"Why not?" Yajima blinked, surprised that someone had refused his good naturedly and entirely reasonable request.

Not saying that it was because Keoko was far too good for him, Akio shook his head. "She's not interested."

"How do you know that," Yajima inspected his hand. "I don't know many girls that wouldn't go out with me."

"She wouldn't," Akio said flatly.

"Why's that?" Yajima insisted on getting a full answer. This five words or less wasn't going to deter him.

"Because she wouldn't," Akio said, trying to be patient. It usually came very easily to him, but tonight he was finding it hard.

"Oh," Yajima craned his neck to look up at him. "Is that because you two are involved?"

Akio's eyes widened at that and he stopped suddenly. "What?" Why did everyone ask him that when it concerned Keoko and his friendship?

"Ah some childhood romance sparkling between the two of you," Yajima added dreamily. "You don't want the rich, handsome boy involved because he could wrest her love away from you."

Akio growled at that. "We are not involved." She was his best friend and that was it.

"That's exactly what a jealous lover would say," Yajima laughed.

"I am not jealous," Akio said flatly, resuming walking again. He didn't understand how that was even something to consider.

"Well then, if you aren't involved, why can't I have her number?" Yajima adjusted his sunglasses.

Growing increasingly frustrated, Akio threw a look at Rin. Wasn't he supposed to be here to make things go smoothly?

"Uh isn't there...the...uh...no dating in the squad rule?" Rin cleared his throat. "You know, so if you break up there isn't anything awkward?"

Akio had no idea about this, as he had never been interested in Keoko and wasn't in Akari, but he nodded anyway. Perhaps that would get Rushaindo off his back for a little bit.

"People date in school all the time," Yajima waved a hand. "I don't see why I can't get to know her. I guess I'll have to ask her personally."

Akio narrowed his eyes, but didn't otherwise comment. He refused to go around again with him.

"Unless you are dating," Yajima cast a glance at Akio.

Feeling his frusration slip steadily into anger, Akio stared straight ahead, deciding that after tonight, he needed a break from people, or just one in particular really.

Yajima sighed, feeling slightly ticked at the giant. "You know I'll find it somehow," he spread his hands, unburdened by food like the other three. "Maybe I'll just ask her myself."

Very rarely did Akio lose his temper, he could count on three fingers the times it had actually happened, but he was getting pretty close to having to use a fourth. "Leave Keoko alone," he said, glowering down at the other boy through the purple hair that fell over his face. He wasn't like the ass from class B, much more harmless, but he was just as annoying.

Unaffected by Akio Saito at all, Yajima kept walking, wondering how he could get her number. He jerked as some rude uncultured man pushed past them.

"Excuse you," Yajima said haughtily to the passing gray figure.

Rin shivered as the man turned back, glaring at them with gray-green eyes. Something was wrong with that man, his eyes were all crossed. Suddenly, a pulse seemed to emit from him, hitting the small group.

"Guys, I think…"

* * *

 _Present…_

"What the hell?" Hanami demanded, voice several octaves higher than it should be. Akio Saito, Yajima Rushaindo, and Rin Nakamaru were looking just as bewildered as she was certain she did. "What did he do? It was Rokuro Saito wasn't it? It's always the asshole, isn't it?"

Kaori sighed, crossing her arms and looking back at Akio Saito and Rushaindo. She looked at each for a moment, then nodded to herself. This was unexpected to say the least, but she was glad she wasn't the only one in this position. "So it seems I've switched with Rin and Kinoshita with Rokuro Saito. Am I right in my belief that you two switched as well?" she asked, then kept going, certain that she was. "What happened?"

"I have no clue," Yajima stated, trying to flip the long hair hanging all around him. He was still getting used to this whole colors thing and the fact that his voice was now several pitches deeper thanks to Akio Saito's body.

At Akio's answering shrug, Kaori sighed, reaching to pull back her hair, then remembering she couldn't do that. Damn. "Alright, our best option would be to go back to the dorms and wait for the others." She was certain they would be on the way now.

"When I get my hands on him," Hanami snarled under her breath, eyes flashing. He better keep her body in safe condition.

"Would someone pick those up?" Yajima waved to the takeout bags that Akio had been carrying but he had decided to drop.

Akio reached down, then stopped, straightening up and pushing up his sunglasses so he was able to rub at his eyes. His balance and perception was all off. He hoped whatever was causing this would be able to be fixed and soon at that.

Kaori grabbed them up, then shifted so was she was able to carry them as well as the ones she had. "Kinoshita," she said, glancing briefly at the other girl. "You have Rokuro Saito's Quirk. Just something to keep in mind."

Hanami narrowed her eyes, then glanced down at her hands...or Rokuro's. She was going to kill him, she vowed.

Bending down, which proved to be quite the trick, Yajima pushed the sunglasses back up on his body's eyes. "Don't you dare say anything," he whispered.

Akio's lips twitched, just slightly, but other than that he didn't say anything, though he had little doubt Tsukinose knew. She was far too clever for her own good which he truly realized when she had realized they had switched themselves.

"Wow," Yajima said loudly, standing up. "I never realized how short I was! Look at me, I'm a shrimp! Though still incredibly handsome."

Hanami rolled her eyes, crossing her arms firmly over her chest as she fell into step with Tsukinose. "Keep telling yourself that," she said over her shoulder, then scowled. She had never been so angry in her life, and she felt that anger growing with each step. How dare she have to be stuck in Rokuro's body if this had to happen?

"The food is going to get cold so we should hurry back," Yajima decided, quickly taking the lead.

So what the hell was he doing in Hanami's body? Rokuro snapped the picture anyways because obviously it was important, before shoving the phone into her purse. He was shorter and these spike shoes he was wearing were strange but he seemed to know how to walk in them.

"Alright, back to the dorms," Keoko said. "We don't want to be out later!"

It was like he couldn't even walk. Rin nearly staggered along behind the others, hoping no one would notice. He had to get to wherever he was last. Why was he in Tsukinose's body? This was all so strange! It had to be that person Rushaindo bumped into. But why her? It would make more sense if it was Rokuro Saito, Akio Saito, or Rushaindo since they were the ones he was with. So he needed to find his own body and hopefully Tsukinose was inside it. At least he got to ride in a limousine, though it took him forever to figure out how to get in. Dresses were the worst and now that he had experienced them, he wondered how girls did it. The others seemed to have no problems. Well, except for Kinoshita. Wait a minute. Kinoshita was exactly the type of girl who would know how to get into a limousine. Did that mean? Once he got in, without ripping the skirt or falling over the heels, he sat down next to her. "I don't suppose you aren't, Kinoshita?" he asked.

"What?" Rokuro glanced sideways at Tsukinose. "I...am exactly Kinoshita." Had Tsukinose figured it out? He didn't know her that well, only that she fought pretty well and pretty much defeated him in last class' close combat.

"Look, it's me, Rin," he said, trying to ignore how high his voice was. "We were hit by that quirk and I think it created some sort of soul switch? Though I'm not sure why we switched with the girls. Do you think the others did too?"

"No clue, I wouldn't know," Rokuro shrugged, slouching in his seat.

"So who are you?" Rin asked, deciding it to be Akio since he wasn't yelling or being a total playboy.

"Rokuro Saito," he said quietly, so the other girls wouldn't hear.

Rokuro? Rin coughed, trying to hide his surprise. "Uh, well, have any plans?"

"Going to find my body," Rokuro said. "And get the hell back into it."

That sounded more like him, though he was still surprisingly mild about all of this. Rin nodded his agreement. "I think that's all we can do for the time being."

"Hey, Tsukinose, you were awesome!" Hinata turned in her seat to see the other girl easily. "The way you handled things tonight was just like a Pro!"

"I...did?" Rin gulped. Why of all nights did Tsukinose decide to be a Hero? Not that she shouldn't because they were all in school to be heroes. But why did she have to distinguish herself tonight. Wait a minute, what had they been doing?

"Totally, you talked that guy down just like a Pro, don't mind what the Police said, plus the way you figured things out," Hinata nodded.

Police? Talking people down...what had happened? Rin squirmed, hoping Rakugaki wouldn't notice in the darkness. "Uh, thanks."

"Yeah! Oh and Kinoshita can you send me the picture from tonight?" Hinata asked.

"Sure," Rokuro muttered, realizing he didn't know how to get into Rakugaki's phone.

"Thanks!" Hinata nodded.

"If anyone would like to, we can get together and study some tomorrow," Hikari suggested. She wasn't behind on anything, but it couldn't hurt to do another check on it. She wanted to be sure of her assignments before she turned them in.

"Sounds good," Yukiko nodded after a moment. She had some catching up to do since she had decided to accompany the others tonight.

Hikari smiled, relieved that her offer had been taken up and by Ikeda too. She liked the other girl a lot. "Anyone else?" she asked.

"I think some studying would be good," Kaede agreed. She also felt like she need to reevaluate herself since all her compromises tonight.

Akari shrugged, stretching. She really could get used to this limo riding ting they had going here. "It probably couldn't hurt but we'll see what the boys are doing. I think Eizen's about caught up with us, homework wise."

"I know Akio is all caught up!" Keoko said. "He almost made me finish my assignments before I left."

Akari laughed at that, shaking her head. "Of course he did," she said, rolling her eyes with amusement. Akio had high expectations for them all.

"But I escaped," Keoko said narrowing her eyes and glancing around.

Akari threw herself across the seat, trying to get more comfortable as she wiggled out of her shoes. "It's because you always know just what to say to make him give in."

"This evening was wonderful guys, even with everything that happened," Keoko with a sigh of relief.

Hikari nodded seriously. "Thank you for inviting me," she said, directing this to Marseille. It was nice to be around them, she realized. Even though she really didn't understand some.

"Of course, this was great bonding time! Go Girl Power!" Reine cheered. "Oh yeah, Tuskinose, back on the subject we were discussing earlier, I would love to teach you!"

"Oh," Rin looked up. He briefly wondered if Kaori had wanted to be taught whatever Reine had mentioned. "Uh, thanks."

"Sure thing!" Reine said before jumping into a conversation with Hinata.

"It's always a good thing to know multiple languages," Hikari agreed, glancing over at Tsukinose as she spoke. The other girl's type of intelligence was something she had never seen before.

"Yeah," Rin agreed, hoping he was playing a convincing Tsukinose.

"I wonder what the boys ended up doing. I bet it wasn't nearly as much fun as we had," Akari said, glad to be out of those annoying shoes. She began looking through her bag, glad they had done some shopping before dinner.

"They were probably doing boring stuff," Keoko said. "I would bet that some of them are probably asleep already."

Akari giggled. "I bet Akio is," she said, certain of that.

"Probably," Keoko replied with a smirk.

Rokuro snorted before he could catch himself. They certainly weren't asleep. He vaguely wondered where Akio and Yajima were now, if they themselves were in the girls bodies.

"Share," Akari demanded with a smile, nudging her in the leg with her toes.

"Huh?" Rokuro asked, suddenly remembering he was in Kinoshita's body and that no one else knew.

Akari waves a hand. "What's got you so amused?" She was sure it would be hilarious; she was discovering under her brash personality, Kinoshita had a good sense of humor.

"Oh, nothing," Rokuro said. He had decided it would be to much to inform the girls of the switch and that he didn't really want that kind of attention. Especially in a confined space such as the limousine.

Shrugging, Akari turned her attention back to Keoko. "I'm going to sleep for the next twelve hours," she swore.

"Yes," Keoko agreed. "That sounds so good. Tonight was pretty exhausting."

Akari nodded. It was, but she didn't regret any of it. "We'll have to do it again."

"Except maybe not the villain part and the fires," Hinata added. "Just girl fun."

"The fire." Akari made a face as she sniffed her hair. "I think I can still smell smoke on me."

"I think when we get back some nice hot baths are in order," Hinata suggested. "I wonder how we can follow that guy's story. I sure would like to know what happened…"

"That sounds amazing." Akari's smile fell at that. "I really feel bad for him. Hopefully he'll get some help soon."

"Yeah, he seemed really out of it," Keoko agreed. "He must have been controlled like Tsukinose said."

Akari nodded, looking down the seat at the other girl. "I don't really know how you figured t out, and so quickly at that, but I'm so impressed."

"Thanks," Rin answered, feeling the sweat running down his forehead. Well not his forehead. Her forehead. But he could feel it.

"I don't know what you told the police, but whatever it was, it worked." Akari leaned back, yawning. "I hope we don't get in too much trouble with Aizawa."

"We got in plenty trouble with everyone else so I think we should be good," Reine offered encouragingly. "I think our teachers should be proud since they are training us to be heroes!"

"Let's hope they look at it that way." Akari agreed, though she wasn't bothered by the idea of more trouble. They did the right thing.

"Hopefully," Keoko agreed.

"We'll face whatever punishment we're given," Hikari said, knowing that facing the consequences was the responsibility of heroes.

"Right," Hinata agreed, though she didn't know if she liked the idea of whatever punishment might be handed out.

"Let's not worry about it now," Akari suggested. Nothing would be done about it tonight either way.

"Right, let's enjoy these last few minutes of girl time!" Keoko cheered.

"Yes!" Reine agreed just as eagerly. They chatted, going through several different topics of conversation during the last few minutes of the drive back. They stopped in front of the gates. "Tonight was so fun!" Reine called her goodbyes to her classmates. "Have a good night's rest!"

"Will do!" Keoko called back just as energetically. "Wait why are you coming with us, Kinoshita?" She asked as the other girl started to head in with them.

"Oh, uh, I left something at the dorms when we met up," Rokuro did his best to make up an excuse. He needed to find his body.

"Well, I'll see everyone in the morning," Akari said with a yawn, shifting her bag to her other shoulder as she went to the door. "Make sure Eizen goes to bed," she said, directing this to Keoko. She had caught him up at four the other morning in the kitchen.

"Don't worry! As Dorm Watch I make sure everyone is in bed!" Keoko gave a thumbs up.

Akari laughed then went on her way, knowing Kaede would be behind her. The third floor was ridiculously far when you were tired.

Rin glanced around as soon as they entered. Some of the guys were still downstairs, with bowls of hot curry. Alright, Genjiro was there but evidently Anamiya had fled the scene. But he couldn't really approach them like this. But where was his body? If the curry was here then evidently the others had made it back. However he couldn't spot anyone that had been on the food errand.

"You've made it back," Kaori said around a mouthful of curry. She was casually leaning against the wall, and though she seemed relaxed, her eyes were far from it. She was having such an odd experience, staring at herself like this, but knew she wasn't the only one. She glanced at Rokuro Saito, glad to see that Kinoshita's body came back in one piece as well.

"Aah!" Rin jumped. Spinning around he faced himself. No, Tsukinose in his body. This was all so strange. "Yeah," he nodded. "Uh, can I have it back?"

"Well if I knew how to give it back, I would," Kaori pointed out, trying to patient. "I don't even know what happened and neither do the other three."

"I can fill you in," Rin said with an eager nod. "Where are the others?"

Kaori hoped so; this whole situation was ridiculous and she wanted it resolved as soon as possible. "We've been waiting for you and Rokuro Saito," she said, tilting her head in the direction of the other three. Kinoshita looked murderous as she stood with the boys; Akio Saito looked mildly uncomfortable.

"Should we go somewhere...more private?" Rin asked nervously. "Or...have you told anyone?" he glanced around suspiciously.

"Why would I have told anyone?" Kaori rolled her eyes. That would have been stupid. "Figure out how to get Rokuro to my rooms, I'll handle the rest.

"That would be easy for us but you have to get into your room with our bodies," Rin pointed out.

"I already have it all under control," Kaori said, taking another bit of curry. She hadn't just been standing here, waiting for her body to show up. She wouldn't waste time she could be planning in.

"Right," Rin went to run his hand through his hair, only tangling it up. "Uh lead the way?"

"Stop that." Kaori reached out, to bat away his hand then stopped herself. She reached for another bite of curry instead. "It looks ridiculous and unless you want to detangle it for me, leave it alone."

"Sorry," Rin brought his hand down, fidgeting uncomfortably.

"Rokuro Saito," Kaori reminded him, glaring down at his hand, then turning. Well, she supposed it could be worse, having Rin being the one she switched with. At least she didn't have Rushaindo; she almost pitied Akio Saito for that one.

"Wait his body or his himself?" Rin called after her quietly.

"Himself." This was getting all kinds of complicate. Kaori sighed. As soon as she figured out what exactly happened, she would come up with a plan. She really wanted this resolved and fast.

"Oh that's easy," Rin glanced behind him, only to discover Rokuro Saito wasn't there. Alright, maybe not so easy. Rin found him a few paces away, investigating the curry. "Come on. We have to go to Tsukinose's room. "

"Oh alright," Rokuro grabbed a bowl of curry, before following. "Let's go."

Gathering the other three was surprisingly easy, and Kaori worked it in a certain way that their disappearances wouldn't be questioned. By the time Rin and Rokuro Saito appeared, she was wondering if perhaps suggesting her room, while conviceant, wasn't the best idea. Akio Saito had to already stop Kinoshita from taking her fury out on her surroundings three times in the five minutes they waited. Watching her, Kaori realized their Quirks hadn't switched as well. Lovely.

"So you really did switch with the girls, how perverted," Yajima leaned over to look at the others as they walked in.

Hanami shot him a venom filled glare, then turned to look at Rokuro. "You better be taking good care of it," she warned, waving a hand at her body.

"It's fine," Rokuro shoved a spoonful of extra spicy curry into his mouth.

"It better be," Hanami said, narrowing her eyes. "I don't want anything to happen to it."

Kaori shook her head, then turned back to Rin. "So what exactly happened?" she asked, needing them back on track. If Rokuro Saito could distract Kinoshita, that was fine with her. She would like it if her room stayed in one piece.

"We were coming back after getting curry," Rin explained. He told her about the man with the crossed eyes and how seconds later they had switched. Relating his theories to her, he sat back and waited. She was quite good at strategy and could probably figure it out better than he could.

Kaori frowned, knitting her brows together in thought. A moment passed, in which she was silently sorting through theories, then she nodded, looking at the four boys. "Were you doing anything different?" she asked finally. "Out of the normal?"

"No, nothing out of the ordinary," Rin said with a shrug. "Alright, perhaps our group was out of the ordinary, but that shouldn't be the reason."

Finding that she wasn't happy with his answer, Kaori looked now at Akio Saito and Yajima Rushaindo. "What about you two?" she asked. There was something she was missing but she knew she was close to putting the pieces together.

"What about us?" Yajima asked, having nearly fallen asleep.

"Anything out of the ordinary?" Kaori reached up, intent on pulling her hair, then remembered once again she couldn't do it. She bit back a growl of frustration.

Akio took a moment, thinking carefully. He wasn't sure what Tsukinose was thinking, but she seemed to be on the path to something. He hoped it was answers on how to fix this. Keoko would never let him live this down, he was certain. "No, Rushanido and I were just talking," he said finally. "Until that man bumped into him."

"Was he angry because he was bumped into?" Rin asked, trying to see where she was going with this. Which was hard considering how few words she used. "Is that what activated his quirk?"

Kaori began pacing. "No, that wouldn't make any sense considering it was the six of us," she murmured, letting the information she knew about the situation wash over her. There was a pattern she was missing but she just wasn't sure what it could be. "Kinoshita and I weren't even there so why were we involved? There was four of you so surely that would have worked...except...perhaps that wasn't the intention…" she trailed off, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment. She needed to understand; the desire to was overwhelming and it was all she could think about. What was she missing? She went through everything she knew again...and this time it clicked. Her eyes snapped open again. "That's it. It has to be."

"What?" Rokuro asked, all of this silence edging at his nerves.

"You and Kinoshita argue all the time," Kaori said, pointing to them as she spoke. "Rin and I fought over that chess move." She glanced at him. "Which I was right," she added, then looked at Akio Saito and Rushaino; realization was quickly dawning on Akio's face...or the the face of his borrowed body anyway. "I can guarantee you two were doing the same thing as we have all been."

"We weren't fighting," Yajima waved. "It's totally ridiculous. I was just explaining how it was perfectly fine for me to achieve getting Shimizu's number!"

Her question answered, Kaori turned back to Rin. "Now that we've figured out that question, we have two problems. One...what are we going to do with Rokuro? He can't go back to Kinoshita's place like this."

Hanami's horror could be instantly seen in her expression at that. She hadn't even thought of that. She spun on Rokuro. "You're not going to my bedroom," she snapped, feeling her face burn at the thought. That was a private area and she wouldn't let him step foot in there.

"Wait why would I want to go to your bedroom, I'm going to my own room," Rokuro crossed his arms, rolling his eyes.

"You're in my body, genius." Hanami poked him in the shoulder. "You can't just go to your room here." She frowned. "And you know what? I'm not about to leave you alone with it either." He wasn't like Rushaindo, and he certainly wasn't like that class B bastard, but he was still a guy and she would really rather not do anything but have him under supervision while they were like this.

"I'm not going to let anyone see me," Rokuro protested. "Plus I'm not going to sleep with a girl in my room! That's crossing a line."

Hanami narrowed her eyes. "That's not going to work," she said finally. "I'm not letting you keep my body without some sort of supervision."

"Well what about my body," Rokuro gestured at her. "Nothing is unconvincing you. Your hair is really messy and your chest is really heavy."

"My…" Hanami felt her face grow warm. "Stop thinking about it!" Her voice came out higher with each word. "You know what? I'm going to stay with you; I don't trust you."

"Well I'm not trying to think about it, I really don't want to think about it!" Rokuro snapped back. "You think I'm any more happy? How can I trust you? You might feed my body sweets or something nasty like that."

Hanami wrinkled her nose. His logical wasn't anything resembling that. "So you think sweets is equivalent to my breasts?" she asked sharply. She took a step towards him; she didn't think she had ever been so mad in her life. "I'm definitely staying with you tonight so I can keep an eye on you."

"All I want to do is get some sleep, maybe I'll get into my own body again," Rokuro crossed his arms. "Besides its just as perverted for you to be in my body. Just because you are a girl…"

"You asshole," Hanami snarled, lunging at him. She was stopped by Akio Saito who had grabbed her, or really Rokuro's arm. She swore at him next, trying to wrench free of him. Fury coursed its way through her and the next thing she knew, something red caught her attention. She froze, eyes widening. "What the hell?" she breathed, momentarily forgetting her rage as she stared dumbly as the energy burned a hole in part of Tsukinose's desk.

"Aah what are you doing you activated my quirk!" Rokuro jumped backwards, nearly tripping over the heels he had eagerly tossed off.

"What do I do?" Hanami gasped as Tsukinose swore loudly, moving towards her desk. "Make it stop, Rokuro!" His stupid Quirk...she didn't know what to do with it.

"You have to stop activating it!" Rokuro waved his hands. "I don't know, you have to just stop activating!"

"That does make any sense!" Something else exploded and Hanami flinched How was she going to stop before she destroyed the whole room? He wasn't helping her!

"Do something, Saito," Kaori said through clenched teeth. She wanted her room to stay as unscatched by this misadventure as much as possible but she wasn't sure how considering Kinoshita was doing her hardest to explode everything around them.

"What am I supposed to do? I can't tell someone how I deactivate my quirk, I just have to cool off. Chew some gum," Rokuro looked around as if expecting to find his packet.

"Gum? How is that supposed to help me?" Hanami snarled, frustration joining the anger in her voice. Did he think she was stupid or something? He was so ridiculous...and patronizing too!

"Look being angry isn't going to help deactivate," Rokuro spread his hands, staring at her. Wait, had he just said that?

"Then what will?" Hanami took a step towards him again. More and more anger swelled up with her. Was she going to be stuck like this forever? She didn't understand what was happening.

"You got to think about nice things because anger is what fuels my quirk," Rokuro pointed out.

Nice things? Hanami latched onto the words, taking a deep breath, then another. Nice things? Like what? Shoes...she liked shoes...and the new dress she got was nice too. Shopping always put her in a good mood.

"That's…" Rokuro frowned as Nakamaru put a hand over his mouth. What? Like he was going to interrupt? It was she who wanted to know how to stop it.

Her lips pressed tightly together, Kaori looked at Kinoshita for another moment, then shook her head, glancing around at the others. "This won't be an easy fix," she said finally, wishing it would be. "It's likely to take time. As of now, we need to figure out how to be as comfortable in each other's bodies as we can be."

"Go away, Tsukinose," Rin drug her last name out, finding it perfect whining material. "I'm having an existential crisis right now." He wondered if she had heard for a moment, because for one the pillow was muffling his voice and two the knocking had stopped.

"No, you're just being an idiot right now," Kaori said, opening the door and stepping inside. She closed it once more, then paused, not sure what to do with her lock-picking kit. She finally settled on putting it on the table. "Get a hold of yourself." She didn't understand why he was making such a big deal of this. It was simply a minor inconvenience that would be resolved.

"I don't want to be a girl," Rin whined some more. "I want it to go away...you were supposed to be able to fix it."

Kaori rolled her eyes upwards and stared at the ceiling for several moments. Patience...she needed patience. "Being a girl isn't a bad thing," she said finally, wondering why she had to spell out the obvious for him like this. She had thought it was much more intelligent than this. "And second I can't fix something Quirk related. It has to run its course." She had already spent some time investigating what she could on it and that was what she had concluded. It would fix itself, whenever it saw fit. They just had to wait for it to play out. All in all, it could be worse.

"Yes it is, if you are a guy," Rin said into the pillow. "Maybe we should tell Raiji and Katou," Rin rolled over. "They are the other smart ones in the class. Surely there is some way to break this."

Kaori rolled her eyes, unimpressed with this crisis he had decided that he absolutely needed to have. "I'm already working on it." She was considering taking back every nice thing she had ever thought about him. It, admittedly, was few but the point remained.

"But brainstorming is good too...right?" Rin looked up at her.

Kaori raised her eyebrow. "Are you done yet?"

"I think you should be more upset than you are," Rin pointed at her.

Kaori shrugged, not bothered. "Why? It could be worse."

"But this is...alright?" Rin stared at her.

"Did I say it was?" Kaori asked, rising her eyebrow at him. That word didn't leave her mouth. It wasn't.

"I hope this goes away," Rin rolled back over, face planting into the pillow again.

"It will," Kaori said firmly. "I just hope before Rokuro Saito and Kinoshita kill one another." She reached back, then remembered once again she didn't have the hair to do this. "But you really need to get over yourself."

"Can't I have a midlife crises?" Rin moaned. "I'm in a girl's body. It's not exactly something I might have ever expected."

"No. That's ridiculous and doesn't have any point," Kaori said, rolling her eyes as she took a seat and crossed her legs. "Besides, who could expect this?"

"Exactly, so give me like five more minutes of whining and I'll be done," Rin muttered.

Kaori didn't say, simply typed her fingers on her knee and waited. He really was being pointlessly dramatic.

"It's hard to whine with all the judging in the room," Rin turned his head so he could be heard clearly.

Kaori waved a hand at him, expression bored. "Feel free to keep going," she urged. "I'm just waiting it out." Surely he was almost done by now.

"So what am I supposed to do?" Rin frowned. "Are you going to sleep in the same room as me like Kinoshita?"

"Why should I?" Kaori shrugged. "There's no point." She had none of the concerns about Rin that Kinoshita had about Saito. They would just sleep in the rooms that their current bodies had. It was really that simple.

"Oh good," Rin heaved a sigh of relief. "Well I can't think anymore, so I should probably go to sleep."

"You used up your thinking during all that whining," Kaori said, rolling her eyes as she stood. She reached down, plucking up her cellphone and tossing his to him. "Don't do anything stupid in here. I'll know if something was touched," she warned.

"Hmm, then I'll have to move everything so you wouldn't know which secret diary notebook thingy I actually looked at," Rin grinned. "With the Sports Festival coming up I could use your secret plans to destroy everyone."

"Try again with something more believable next time," Kaori said after a long pause, though her lips twitched slightly. She had to appreciate that. "And I have no idea what you're talking about," she said smoothly.

"Gotta find out where you make those forged rule books," Rin tapped his chin. Right, it was really her chin. He had to get used to this evidently.

"Good luck with that," Kaori said, her tone making it clear that he wouldn't do that. She appreciated his attempt though he had to be aware it wouldn't be successful.

"You've probably hidden everything," Rin sighed.

At that, Kaori couldn't help a smile. "Of course I did," she admitted. "I trust you with my body but not everything in this room."

"I'm going to find the truth out about those chess rules," Rin pointed at her, hopping off his bed and going to the door. "One day, I'll expose all your chess secrets."

"Doubtful," Kaori said, lips twitching again. "But maybe I should give you that book so you can see I'm right." She did appreciate it when people acknowledged her intelligence, as well as her skills in chess, or even both.

"You already did," Rin pointed to his forehead. "But I refuse to believe it was real." Well he should be pointing to his own body's forehead, where a bruise would be, except for the fact his quirk erased it.

"Because you didn't even look at it," Kaori countered. She had no regrets hitting him with it. His head was harder than a rock.

"Did too," Rin countered back. "Obviously forged."

"And this is why we were switched to begin with," Kaori said with a sigh, rolling her eyes. He was ridiculous. "Because you can't admit I'm right about this."

"Goodnight," Rin rolled his eyes. They had already tried not disagreeing and that hadn't switched them back so he decided to stick with this forged chess rule book.

Kaori rolled her eyes again settling onto the end of the bed. "I"ll see you in the morning," she said, then flopped backwards. She was tired, yet she knew she wouldn't be sleeping, at least for a while. Her mind was racing with thoughts and ideas and until she figured everything out, she wouldn't be able to do anything but entertain them.

* * *

Kito dialed the number, staring at the screen on the kitchen counter in his apartment. Holding up the phone he waited, wondering if Aizawa had patrol tonight. Surely not, or else he would have heard about this. Words rolled across the screen since he hadn't bothered to unmute it.

 _Man uses quirk to burn down all of the Musutafu District destroying more than 100 businesses and causing 23 civilian casualties. Heroes and First Responders still on the scene…_

"What is it?" Aizawa asked after the second ring. He knew it had to be serious; Kito never called him unless it was. "What did they do now?"

"Turn your tv on," Kito replied.

Not liking the answer, Aizawa flipped it on, watching it for several moments in silence. "Shit," he said finally, the papers he was grading all but forgotten.

"Yes, well, what are we going to do? Looks like they got off," Kito muttered something under his breath. "I'm sure we will have some phone calls."

Aizawa rubbed his hand over his face, sighing deeply. He was too tired to deal with this tonight but they needed to act as quickly as possible. "Did they say why exactly they did?" he asked finally.

"Just that they alerted the police and heroes, though I doubt that was all," Kito responded. "Though judging what I've seen, they must have not done enough to get a large reprimand."

"Or," Aizawa said, really wishing he hadn't answered this call. "Kaori Tsukinose got them out of worse trouble." She reminded him a lot of her uncle at that age; he remembered several times how Eiichi talked his way out of trouble. "I don't know what punishment would actually work on her." He pinched the bridge of his nose, frustration building in the throb of his temple. "Either way, Kinoshita and Marseille's parents absolutely have to be called."

"I pick Kinoshita," Kito said quickly. "Good luck."

Aizawa pulled the phone away at the beep then swore, reminded again just how annoying Kito could be. He rubbed at his temple, then began looking for the cell phone numbers of Marseille's parents. What had they been thinking? He could only begin to guess but this wasn't the first group that had done something like this and he knew it wouldn't be the last. He had no idea what he was going to do with them but he needed to start the process of figuring it out. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

"I want breakfast," Yajima declared, bolting up in bed and hitting his head. "Ouch," he rubbed the top, suddenly remembering the change they had gone through last night. Oh yes, he was now tall and could see things. He had spent nearly all night admiring colors. This was all so amazing. He intended to enjoy every moment of it. Stretching, he pulled on some of Saito's best clothes and waltzed out into the ground floor.

Having been unable to sleep in a strange place, much less a whole different body, Akio was up far earlier than he had wanted to. Glad that he had been to find an empty room and hadn't had to go back to Rushaindo's, he lay on the sofa, dozing. However, when Rushaindo came in, he was instantly awake. He stared at him for several long moments, then slowly shook his head, wondering why that outfit had been deemed a good idea. They were going to be found out by nothing but that alone.

"AKIO!" Keoko flung herself off the stairs and straight towards her best friend. "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE WHAT WE DID LAST NIGHT!"

Akio's eyes widened then slowly sunk back into the cushions and blankets. Keoko...it was only a matter of time. He really hoped Rushaindo would play this cool, but he had a feeling that was very unlikely.

"Eh, hello." Yajima, surprised by the assault, nearly spilled the milk all over himself. Now that he had a colored beautiful view of her she was even more lovely. He wouldn't be so rude to object to the hug, and even if he wanted to it wasn't as if she gave him any choice in the matter.

"Hello?" Keoko released him. "That's an odd greeting...feeling talkative today? Don't tell me you were hit by a quirk that makes you speak ten million words a day!"

Akio pressed the pillow over his face. She would figure it out, then she would never let him live this done. Great, just great.

"Heh...heh…" Yajima didn't know what to do with her exuberance now that it was centered on him. Or rather, the him that was playing Akio Saito. He would much rather approach her as himself. But things made that quite difficult. "Right."

"Okay we've had like a .52 second conversation and not one grunt, total record there," Keoko grabbed the milk away from him, after retrieving another glass.

Akio frowned into his pillow. Did he grunt? He didn't think he did. Alright, actually, made he did, but surely not as much as Keoko was implying he did.

"So I have to tell you about last night because I was super tired and went to bed after I couldn't find you," Keoko chatted lightly. She went into great detail about the night before, making sure Akio knew every single bit and spec that they had encountered.

As he heard more and more, Akio found a frown deepening on his face. They had been far too dangerous; hadn't they realized that? He was glad that they were alright.

"That sounds amazing, you really are cut out to be a perfect hero, all of you," Yajima praised, forgetting himself.

Keoko arched an eyebrow.

At that, Akio stifled a groan. That wasn't something he would say, not even close. One...two…

"Who are you?" Keoko poked a finger into Akio's chest.

...three. Sighing softly, Akio debated on sitting up but decided to give himself a few more moments.

"Wait, what do you mean? I'm Akio!" Yajima protested smoothly, having now caught his mistake. He had forgotten how...talkative Saito wasn't.

"No you aren't," Keoko shook her head decisively. "What are you a shapeshifter? Are you one of those General Studies twins? Is that your quirk? Well this isn't funny, where is the real Akio?"

Realizing his time was now sadly up, Akio dropped the pillow from his face and pushed away his blankets. This was going to be...uncomfortable.

"Wait what is Rusaindo doing here.. isn't he a rich boy?" Keoko looked puzzled at the movement.

"It's me, Keoko," Akio said with a sigh as he set up all the way and looked over at them. The now gray world was still as odd as it had been when this had happened.

"Akio?" Keoko tilted her head, then spun back towards Akio's body, before looking back at Yajima, who was Akio.

"Yeah." Akio stretched then stood. "It's a long story but some of us were switched last night." Saying that made him realize how ridiculous this all was.

"Switched?" Keoko kept looking between the two.

Akio nodded, crossing his arms. "We ran into a man that we think did it."

"Oh dear," Keoko hopped up on the bar, looking at Akio's body but Rushaindo. "Well can you unswitch?"

Those words described the whole situation perfectly. "Tsukinose said that more than likely, the Quirk will have to wear off on it's own," he murmured, not impressed.

"Unfortunately so," Yajima waved. "And we have no idea when that will be."

"Hopefully soon," Akio said, his expression becoming pained. This was awful.

"Poor Akio," Keoko used her scarf to get off the bar. "It must be awful...you are almost as short as me now!" She exclaimed running over to him.

Akio nodded, then sighed. "It's an adjustment," he muttered, finding it weird to be able to meet Keoko's eyes.

Keoko giggled, "This is actually funny…"

Akio groaned, stepping backwards. "It isn't."

"Yes it is," Keoko grinned.

"You can't tell anyone about this." Akio crossed his arms, frowning. He didn't want the whole of class A to know.

"I can't…?" Keoko asked. "What about Akari and Eizen?" she looked as pathetic as possible, knowing that Akio would be stubborn at times.

At that, Akio's frown deepened. "This switch happened with Rokuro too," he said finally. He didn't think that would go over well though the other Saito was a lot...calmer...oddly enough.

"Oh, who did he switch with?" Keoko asked, tilting her head sideways.

"Kinoshita," Akio muttered with a sigh. Of all the people...

Keoko stared up at Akio, blinking softly. "Kinoshita? Really?"

Akio nodded, the pained expression creeping back onto his face. He wondered how their 'sleepover' went then decided he didn't really care as Kinoshita hadn't blown up anything else to his knowledge.

Keoko started giggling, and once she started she couldn't stop. "This is great," she wiped tears from the edges of her eyes.

Groaning, Akio pressed his face in his hands. This was just what he had feared. She would be unstoppable after this, or more than she usually was. "Be quiet," he whispered, dropping his hands. He didn't want everyone to know and they would if they walked in right then.

"I can't," Keoko sucked in a breath. "No stopping."

Akio fought another groan, then looked quickly at the door. He was glad no one else seemed to be awake yet. "Keoko," he murmured, wondering why he even bothered to try. She was impossible when she was like this.

"And you are short!" Keoko burst into another fit of laughter.

Barely resisting the urge to beat his head against the wall, repeatedly, Akio scowled. "I've been short before," he protested. He wasn't finding this nearly as enjoyable as Keoko was.

"But you were a baby then," Keoko snorted, pointing at his nose.

Akio reached up, grabbing her hand and pushing it down again. "How would you know?" he asked, his scowl deepening.

"We were friends," Keoko waved her hands.

"I was born three months before you," Akio pointed out, then caught himself. He knew what she was doing and if he wasn't so tired, he would never have gotten caught up in this. She would talk him in circles.

"So you're saying I would know because I'm younger and would know these things, glad we agree," Keoko gradually ceased giggling.

"I…" Akio snapped his mouth closed without finishing the sentence. He could feel a headache building. After a moment, he settled on a grunt.

"Yep, you are Akio," Keoko said knowingly.

Was there any doubt? Akio wasn't sure, wasn't sure if he really wanted to know. He sighed, glancing back at her. "Not a word to Akari and Eizen," he said.

"Why," Keoko whined, pouting up at him.

Akio didn't waver. Her pouts never worked on him. "No."

"Please," Keoko widened her eyes slightly.

Reminding himself that he couldn't give in, Akio looked away. Despite what he said, he really did have a hard time not to waver when she did things like this. "Breakfast," he said finally. That would be a distraction.

"Oh yes I was going to make pancakes!" Keoko held up a finger, instantly forgetting about their conversation.

Relieved, Akio nodded, stomach growling at the thought. He really did enjoy them. Perhaps some food would make things seem a little less overwhelming.

* * *

Rin felt himself growing more and more awake, especially with the pain in his wrist. Felt like the hair was tangled around it again. Wait his hair? His hair wasn't long. No was he really awake? Had this all been a dream? He would be in his bed in his body. Forcing an eye open he blinked sleepily.

"Aah!" he yelled, jumping and pushing himself upright. "Tsukinose!"

She was sitting beside the bed, staring at him. Sleep dragged at his limbs and he tilted sideways, having to balance himself upright again, heart racing at the surprise.

"What...what are you doing here?" he stammered, trying to shake the hair out of his eyes.

Kaori, her eyebrow raised, eyed his...well, her...hair distastefully for a moment. It looked wallowed, which she had no doubt was what happened. "What does it look like?" she asked finally. She thought it was painfully obvious, but perhaps not.

"Watching me sleep," Rin swallowed, blinking the sleep from his eyes. Wait, it was still her eyes. He was blinking the sleep from her eyes.

"No," Kaori said with a sigh, impatience in the sound. "I was waiting for you to wake." How he didn't know that, she had no idea. Why else would she be here, doing that?

"So...watching me sleep…" Rin pointed out, making a face as he pulled strands of hair out of his, her mouth.

Kaori rolled her eyes, then settled back into her chair again. "I found your tattoo," she said, more than ready to get to the point now that he was finally awake.

"You found it…?" Rin's words came out as a high pitched squeak, even for a girl voice. He had tried so long to keep it hidden.

"It's on your shoulder. That's not the most subtle place for something that is meant to be hidden," Kaori said with a sigh. He really didn't know much about the art of subtly. Sometimes, she really did wonder about him. But then again, not everyone had had the education and lessons she had throughout her life.

"I wasn't trying to be subtle when I got it," Rin muttered. "Plus I usually have my shirt covering it...and I put that concealer on it whenever we have PE."

"If you really want to keep it hidden, you need to do a better job," Kaori said, disapproval in her voice as she shook her head. Or his head really.

"Like...how?" Rin asked, having the sudden feeling that she knew something about concealing it.

Kaori reached up, running her...his...fingers over his shoulder, feeling the slight rise in the skin. "I might have something," she said, tone musing. A moment later, she was certain it would work.

"Yes?" Rin asked after a moment.

"I'll have to find something that matches your skin tone," Kaori said, glancing down at his hand and studying it carefully as she talked. "So you'll have to wait until tonight, when I can go out."

"We have to go to school like this tomorrow?" Rin's eyes bugged.

"If it doesn't wear off soon," Kaori dismissed, his words drawing her out of her thoughts. She wasn't concerned about it, as she was certain it would. She had stayed up half the night, unable to sleep until she had figured out more of the situation at hand. She felt fairly confident she had.

"I don't know how to be you," Rin waved his hands. "What will I do if one of the girls talk to me? Or the teachers? Or…" he stopped, realizing he didn't have another question.

"You're panicking, Rin," Kaori said with a sigh, expression unimpressed as she watched him. "Get yourself together. You don't have to worry about that right now." She wasn't sure why he was as concerned as he was about it; it wasn't like this was the end of the world or anything.

"Right, deep breaths, huh?" Rin sagged. "So you really know something that can help hide my tattoo?"

Kaori nodded her approval. If she was simply listened to more, everything would go much smoother. "Of course I do. One always needs to know the best way to conceal something that can make them easily identifiable, such as a tattoo, or birthmark."

"Oh, uh, yes," Rin nodded. "That makes sense...why would you want to conceal something that would make you identified?"

"Precaution." Kaori shrugged a shoulder, then pointed to her arm. "There's a three by six inch scar underneath that sleeve. If a villian saw that when I'm a hero, then saw it again when I'm in civialion form, where would I be? It would be stupid for me to do everything I can to prevent them knowing who I am." It would be foolish if they tried to use her family as leverage against her or vise versa, but there was a part of her that would like to see them try, if mainly for amusement.

"Oh," Rin blinked, looking rather impressed. "You are really good."

"I know," Kaori agreed. Of course she did. She took pride in her Quirk, but she took even more in her brain. "But thank you anyway. I had a good teacher." A beep followed seconds later and she frowned, reaching into her pocket and pulling out her phone. "We've got a problem," she said after a moment, lips pulled together in a tight frown. Of course this was going to happen now of all times.

"What?" Rin asked, wondering what could be worse than their current situation.

"Kito wants to meet me today." Kaori, realizing her grip was tight around her phone, slowly relaxed it, finger by finger. This was not something she had considered. "About what happened last night." Was that all? Her frown deepening, she read the text again. His words said something, yet not everything.

"Oh no," Rin paled, then hesitated. "Uh...what did happen last night? Weren't you gone with all the girls?"

Kaori waved a dismissive hand. "Nothing of importance. We just did what we had to." What would happen if she simply ignored his request? Would he pursue it? Perhaps not; he didn't want anything to do with her, just as she didn't him. But even as she wondered this, she knew he would. Of course he would. They couldn't ignore their connection forever.

"Like…." Rin arched an eyebrow expectantly. She couldn't stop now, especially since there seemed to be a long story behind it.

"It was on the news," Kaori said, looking back up from the phone. "Fires started from a creation based Quirk used. Obviously, we had to stop him and get him the help he needed." She really did need to pay him a visit; there was so much more at play and it was always good to gather all the information they could in the grand scheme of things

"Oh," Rin nodded, wondering if she remembered he didn't have a television, or a smartphone, or a laptop. "Wait, did you use your quirks?" he exclaimed, deciding this must be the reason their teacher wanted to see her.

"Of course we did," Kaori said with a sigh. Why wouldn't they have? "Sometimes a hero has to make tough decisions." She didn't regret any of it.

"Did you get in trouble?" Rin asked, because clearly this was the most important thing. Considering he was in her body.

"I got us out of the majority," Kaori said, shrugging a shoulder. Her mother's name definitely had its perks.

"What about the rest…?" Rin narrowed his eyes a little bit.

Kaori met his eyes evenly. "It wouldn't be my first lecture," she said. "And I highly doubt it was the first for some of the others as well."

"Well I have to be you, so you better fill me in," Rin crossed his arms. This would be the first time he would be lectured for something he didn't do…

Kaori raised an eyebrow, then leaned back. "I'm going with you to Kito," she said finally. If she had her way, she would avoid him all together, yet she also knew she couldn't. He wouldn't give up; if not now, then later, he would reach out again. She knew what day was coming up and knew he was just as aware as she was of it. He was using the pretense of last night's activities, yet it was much more than that.

"He'll figure it out," Rin shook his head. "I thought we were keeping this secret."

"This will be the exception," Kaori said, taking a deep breath then releasing it slowly. "I don't like it anymore than you do, but there's no other way." She had done her best to sort through all the possibilities and she couldn't find any other that would come close to what she wanted from this.

"Just...don't tell Yun and Katou?" Rin gave her a pathetic, pleading look.

Kaori frowned, just slightly, then smirked. "You have my word," she said, trying to be as serious as she could. He really was ridiculous.

"Thanks," Rin breathed a sigh of relief.

After a moment, Kaori reached for her phone again, firing off a quick response. She didn't let herself think too much on it. "There's something you need to know," she said finally. She had done her best to keep herself separate from her family for the most part, because she wanted to make her own path, yet she would never be able to fully rid herself of it.

"What?" Rin glanced at her, wondering what he needed to know.

Kaori wasn't ashamed, if anything she embrace the Tachibana name, yet she found the words to be a struggle to say. Perhaps because she knew that things would change once he knew. "My mother is Izumi Tachibana," she said finally. "And I'm heir to our family business."

Rin's jaw dropped and he stood staring at her, rather stupidly, for several seconds. "Wait...so you mean to tell me you are part of the Tachibana Clan?"

"Yes," Kaori said simply. She watched him for several moments, taking in his expression, his stance. They said more than his words did.

"Uh so…,' he rubbed his neck. "Why haven't you killed me yet?"

"Why haven't you done it?" Kaori leaned back, crossing her arms. Her phone buzzed in her hand but she ignored it. "Besides, you're my friend." Literally her only one here, but really, no one needed to know that. "Why would I hurt you?"

"I'm your friend?" Rin grinned a little bit. "Well that's a relief."

"Don't make me take that back," Kaori warned, rolling her eyes in annoyance. She would do it without a second's thought. "You're a good chess opponent, and not completely stupid." He was surprised that she thought of him as a friend? But why? She had made that perfectly clear for a while now. Did he think her a friend? She knew that he hadn't ever considered it before but his eyes said he wasn't against the idea.

"Well, you are my friend too," Rin said. "Even if you make up chess rules."

"I do not," Kaori said with a sigh. He wouldn't ever let this go, she was sure of it. But despite her annoyance, she did find herself smiling. It was nice to have a friend, she thought. He was her first one, so she had no idea how this would all work out, but it definitely wasn't bad so far.

"Well, I guess we should go talk with Mr. Kito then," Rin glanced at the door.

Kaori grimaced then stood. "Fix my hair," she ordered, unable to take it any longer. He looked like he had wallowed it.

"Fix it?" Rin winced, as he pulled some of it in front. "I don't know how. I can't shake my head enough."

"With a brush," Kaori said, sighing again as she grabbed one off the desk and tossed it at him. "It's too thick for anything else." Was that what he did to his own hair? Of course it was.

"Ouch," Rin winced as the brush caught on a tangle. "This hurts, do you do this all the time?"

Feeling ridiculous, Kaori stood, then went over to him, settling down on the bed as well. "I'm only doing this so you won't hurt my head even more," she said firmly. SHe wrenched the brush from his hand, then began working it through her hair. It was odd, brushing her hair like this, but she supposed that it could all be much weirder.

"Ow," Rin complained. "This really hurts." He made faces as she continued. "So, question for you," he said after a moment, trying to ignore her brushing through the knots.

"Quiet whining," Kaori said dismissively. She worked in silence for a moment, then realizing he wasn't going to continue, asked, "What?"

Making another face, Rin continued at her prompting. "So are you brushing your hair, or am I brushing your hair. OR...am I brushing my hair?"

Kaori stopped, staring at him for several long moments, then she surprised herself by laughing. "Of all the things…" she murmured, shaking her head. How had he even come up with that? "Clearly," she said, clearing her throat. "I'm brushing my hair."

"Because its your consciousness, and your mind," Rin said after a moment. "Clear as mud. Very logical."

At that, Kaori paused, knitting her brows together. "Are you...teasing me?" she asked finally, not entirely sure if anyone had ever teased her before.

"Me? No," Rin shook his head a little holding up both hands as innocently as he could.

Kaori frowned, then deciding he was lying, resumed brushing her hair. He was ridiculous. "You're a horrible liar," she decided, though she couldn't really rid herself of her smile.

"I wasn't even trying," Rin rolled his eyes. "It's called sarcasm."

"Really? I didn't notice," Kaori said, tone carefully blank. She finished her brushing, then reached for a hair tie.

Rin laughed, "So you do know what sarcasm is...I kinda wondered."

Kaori rolled her eyes, though she smiled again, just a little. "I might be different than a lot of students here, but I'm not that different." Finished with her project, she inspected her work. Overall, she thought it looked excellent.

"Well, that's good to know," Rin nodded. "I've actually not heard you laugh before today, and the semester is nearly over."

"I've laughed," Kaori protested, putting the brush back. She was sure she had...at least once. But perhaps she hadn't, now that she was thinking of it.

"Not when I'm around so it doesn't count," Rin countered quickly.

"I don't think that counts," Kaori said, then stood. This had gone better than she had been expecting.

"I do," Rin shrugged. "So It does."

Knowing better than to respond to that, or they would be here all day because Rin really had a hard time relenting, Kaori just shook her head. "Come on, before I decide I don't want to do this." She was close enough as it was.

"Right, let's do it," Rin nodded.

There was a strange, unidentifiable heavy feeling in Kaori's stomach a she went to the door. She didn't understand what this meant. She had seen him multiple times, talked to him just as many, yet this was different. She didn't understand and she didn't like it when she didn't understand things. "This shouldn't take long," she said, wondering if he would say anything in front of Rin. She never backed down, but she didn't think she was as ready for this as she should be.

* * *

Kito waited in the teacher's lounge, wondering how much longer Tsukinose would be. The school had already received several calls. All were promised resolution before the day was out.

"Kito." Kaori stepped into the room, her arms crossed. "Long story but it's Tsukinose. What do you want?" She could guess but she knew he wouldn't like it if she did.

Kito stared at Rin's face, glancing at who he thought to be Tsukinose behind her. With a sigh he took a long drink from his coffee mug. "What did you get into now?" he said after a moment.

"Nothing that isn't going to be resolved quickly," Kaori dismissed. If it was something she felt like she couldn't figure out she would have told him but she had it handled.

"I should be more worried," Kito commented, taking another long drink. "But that will come second. I want your perspective on what happened yesterday."

Kaori fought the urge to roll her eyes. Of course. If he wanted to play this game, fine by her. "I stand by all the decisions we made," she said firmly. "We did what we had to."

"I didn't ask about that," Kito shook his head, leveling his pen in her direction. "I want your statement on every event that happened yesterday."

"That was my statement. I have nothing more to say on the matter," Kaori said flatly. Her stare was even.

"Details," Kito narrowed his eyes. "I want a debriefing."

"Just that?" Her eyebrow raised, Kaori set down suddenly, now on the same level as he was. "Because any of the other girls could have given you that, Kito."

"Yes, the other girls could have, but I want yours," Kito waved a hand. "You'll have to do this as a hero, so consider it practice."

Kaori looked up at the ceiling for several long moments. "It was fifteen to the hour when we smelled the smoke. Of course, we went to see what was going on and to provide any assistance if we could. We quickly realized that our Quirks were not working and this fire was not normal. There were many signs, such as this one, that helped me in making the logical conclusion that it was creation based and there was much more going on than we first believed. Knowing law enforcement was not our best option at the time, it didn't take long for us to find the man. The others and I worked together to keep the situation from escalating until the proper authorities were able to arrive." She glanced back down at him again. "We did what we had to," she said again.

"I see," Kito sighed. "Is that all you have to say?"

"I believe it was more than satisfactory." Kaori leaned back in her chair. She was very aware of Rin's presence as he hovered behind her, but she didn't turn her attention away from Kito.

"You are aware of the consequences of using quirks without a license," Kito said. "The public doesn't know, but a friend of mine in the department let me know."

"I'm aware," Kaori agreed. She wasn't concerned and her expression revealed that if anything, she was bored by this whole exchange, which she was. "But if we didn't act, things would be much worse."

"True," Kito said. "However your actions were still illegal. What punishment should I administer as your teacher?"

Kaori raised an eyebrow at that. "You're the teacher. You tell me what you think is best." Her tone was mild, but her eyes were anything but that as she watched him watch her.

"I want to hear your opinion," Kito took another drink. "If that doesn't inconvenience you…"

Kaori's gaze flickered to the drink. "I wasn't the only one involved," she said finally. "But I lead them into the situation. I believe it makes sense for me to take whatever the punishment ends up being." She wasn't protecting the others or anything like that, but this was simply a logical decision in this situation.

"Taking responsibility," Kito's tone didn't change. "Well how should I punish you?"

"I've faced worse punishment than you could ever give me," Kaori said finally after several long moments of silence had stretched out between them. "But maybe something community service based so I can better know the people that might suffer the consequences of my actions"

"Very well, I'll take this into consideration," Kito said after a moment. "Thank you for your time, Miss Tsukinose. I'll contact you later."

Kaori nodded then stood. "Is that all?"

"No, go see Dr. Mura and Recovery Girl," Kito said after a moment's thought. "I'm sure they can help."

Kaori sniffed, expression turning distasteful. "I have it handled." If she needed help, she would ask.

"You are a student and will proceed according to procedure," Kito pointed out. "Consider it part of the punishment. You are smart Miss Tsukinose, you need to learn to obey the rules."

"Mhm," Kaori acknowledgment would be all he would get from her on this. She was smart, she was aware of that, and because she was smart, she knew what was the best course of action in this situation.

"You have to obey the rules as a hero, even if you don't like it," Kito warned. "Disregard that fact, as you have done to me right now, and you'll end up a vigilante. Or worse."

Despite his words, Kaori's lips twitched. It might have been humor, but it was just as likely not to have been. "I have heard everything you've said; I'm disregarding nothing."

"I'm done," Kito took another swig, waving at the door.

Kaori turned, then walked towards the door. She paused before she reached it "Drinking so much caffeine isn't good for you," she called over her shoulder, then nodding at Rin to follow, she stepped outside the room.

Damn, always having to have the last word. Stubborn little outfit. He vaguely wondered if she would even follow his orders. Probably not.

As soon as they were a safe distance away, Kaori relaxed, realizing she had been more tense than she had been aware of in there. That had gone much better than she had expected.

* * *

Rokuro woke up, rubbing his eyes. Wait, why did everything feel so weird? This was strange. He didn't feel the usual surge of anger clouding his thoughts for the day.

"Is it time to get up already?" Hanami murmured the question, voice thick with sleep. Last night, she had tossed and turned for several hours but she eventually fell , she was annoyed at having to wake up, though she had realized she had become frustrated and annoyed at some of the strangest things now that she was Rokuro.

"Well, I like to get up now," Rokuro muttered. "Wait why is my voice high?"

Hanami reached over, whacking him on the side of the head. "We switched bodies last night, idiot," she growled, wondering if she could roll over, go back to sleep then wake up to find this to be all a dream. It hadn't worked the first time, but maybe the second time it would.

"Ouch!" Rokuro complained. "What was that for? Why did I have to switch with you?"

At that, Hanami scowled sharply, resisting the temptation to hit him again only because she didn't want to mess up her hair. "I don't know. It was you and your stupid group that ran into him to begin with," she snapped.

"Well why didn't we fix it?" Rokuro asked.

Hanami buried her, his, face in the pillow. "I don't know," she said, voice muffled. "Tsukinose is working on it or something." She hadn't really paid much attention to what the other girl had said, too furious to concentrate.

"This is lame," Rokuro sighed. "Also sleeping in this dress was the worst. I never want to wear a dress again."

Hanami pulled the pillow away and narrowed her eyes at him. "Well, hopefully you won't have too," she said through gritted teeth. Tsukinose better come through on this. She wasn't sure how much more she could take of this whole situation.

"How do you walk?" Rokuro waved at the skirt.

"Practice, I guess" Hanami said with a sigh. She couldn't believe she was having this discussion with him. Walking in skirts or dresses was not at all hard, but he was making such a big deal about it. He was so dramatic.

"It's so tight," Rokuro made a face. "Why couldn't you wear something comfortable?"

"It is too comfortable," Hanami insisted, instantly offended. She wouldn't wear things they weren't.

"No it isn't," Rokuro shook his head. "And spiked shoes are the worst."

Hanami instantly hit him on the head again. "Stop complaining," she ordered, annoyance creeping into her voice again.

"Ow!" Rokuro made a face. "I'm going to go get something to eat."

Fighting the urge to tell him again to stop complaining, Hanami crossed her arms and set up. "Then we need to check in with Tsukinose. I need to go home eventually." She sighed, glancing at her body. She wished she had a change of clothes...but that would just cause complications.

"Which one of us," Rokuro pointed between them. "The one that looks like you, or sounds like you?"

"Me," Hanami said with an impatient sigh. Why wasn't he following? "Me me. I'm not about to let you meet my parents."

"Well you don't have to be rude about it," Rokuro sulked.

"I wasn't rude," Hanami snapped instantly, taking offence. He was the one being rude, not her.

"Is this what I sound like all the time?" Rokuro glanced at her.

Hanami opened her mouth, then closed it sharply. A moment passed, in which she forced back her anger and annoyance, then nodded, scowling.

"Well I bet I'm a ball of fun to be around," Rokuro sighed, popping his wrist.

Hanami reached over, slapping his hands. "Stop that," she said instantly. He couldn't just do that without her permission; that was still her body. "You're very annoying."

"Oh, right," Rokuro looked down, noting that it was not actually his wrist.

Hanami rolled her eyes then pushed away the blankets. "Also, you're a bed hog," she added. How she wound up sleeping in the same bed with the most annoying person in the world, she really had no idea, but they had both survived so she guessed they had done pretty good.

"I don't share beds," Rokuro rolled his eyes. "Plus it's your body."

"I can see that because you kept kicking me," Hanami said, ignoring the comment about it being her body. Like that made sense.

"Actually I was kicking me," Rokuro pointed out.

"Stop making this already more confusing than it already is," Hanami huffed, standing. She had spent enough time with him. She needed some space.

"Well aren't you one of the smart girls?" Rokuro asked.

"Don't even go there," Hanami warned as she stretched. He was already making her mad and they hadn't even been awake that long.

"It was a compliment," Rokuro said flatly.

Hanami looked at him suspiciously. "Why would you compliment me?"

"I don't know, guess it was a bad idea," Rokuro said after a moment with a shrug.

Another moment passed then Hanami sighed. "Thank you," she said grudgingly. "I guess I was just taken off guard because you never say anything nice."

"Enjoy it while it lasts," Rokuro shrugged. "Let's go."

Rolling her eyes, Hanami marched to the door, knowing he would follow. "This has to be fixed soon," she muttered. He was going to drive her crazy before much longer if it wasn't.

"Maybe I'm sorry about all that fighting, as classmates we really shouldn't," Rokuro shrugged.

Hanami paused, hand resting on the doorknob. "Really?" she asked, surprised. She hadn't been expecting this and she looked back, wondering if he was serious. He really seemed to be.

"Yeah," Rokuro looked as if this was painful to admit.

"Mhm." Hanami nodded after a moment. "Perhaps, but sometimes it's fun," she admitted. Trading insults with him was surprisingly enjoyable, even though she often though he was a total moran.

"Yeah," Rokuro grinned.

Hanami grinned back, then suddenly she was staring at Rokuro, her head spinning. She gripped the war, eyes widening. "We switched back!"

"What the hell?" Rokuro shook himself, staggering a step.

Laughing, Hanami touched her arms, her hands, her sides. "We're us again." She couldn't begin to describe how excited she was.

"Finally!" Rokuro growled. "I hate being a girl."

At that, Hanami wrinkled her nose. "It isn't bad," she said, annoyed.

"Yes it was," Rokuro crossed his arms, glad that they were his arms this time.

Rolling her eyes, Hanami slapped his arm. "You're an idiot," she said, annoyed even more now.

"Takes one to know one," Rokuro glared at her.

"Just when I thought we were getting somewhere," Hanami said, shaking her head then spinning on her heel. "I'm going to go check on the others."

"I'm going to get something to eat," Rokuro muttered.

Rolling her eyes, Hanami stepped outside the room and into the hallway. "Let's pretend none of this happened," she suggested. It would just be a distant...nightmare, yes a nightmare, if she had her say.

"Yeah," Rokuro agreed begrudgingly. "Let's."

Sniffing slightly, Hanami walked down the hallway. Distance would certainly do them good.

Rokuro stalked in the opposite direction, ignoring the fact it was the long way around to the stairs. She was so annoying.

Liam paused as he came around the corner, looking as Kinoshita left then to Rokuro Saito who was leaving as well. He blinked, then frowned. He didn't want to know.

* * *

"I told you it would work," Kaori said, somewhat smug despite herself as she glanced at the other five. Akio Saito hadn't really explained what had transpired between him and Rushaindo, but with the story that Kinoshita had told and what had happened between her and Rin, it wasn't hard to figure it out. Of course they had to resolve things before they would be able to switch back. It only made sense.

"But you didn't really admit anything, you just made me apologize for making up that you made up a chess rule," Rin sighed, a pout making a crease line in his forehead.

"I have nothing to apologize for," Kaori said, rolling her eyes at that. It had all worked out so why did he have to bring this up?

"Can I go?" Rokuro rolled his eyes.

"Of course," Kaori said, not caring one way or another. Akio Saito looked relieved as he did his best to slink away. She figured he had dealt with about as many people today as he could.

"I'm taking everyone out to dinner, call it a pre-celebration for the end of the semester," Yajima chatted lightly as they left.

Shaking her head as she watched them, Kaori turned back to Rin. "I have a present for you. Call it a thanks for ignoring anything weird," she said by way of explanation as she handed him a small gift sack.

"A present?" Rin stared at the package. "Why…?"

Kaori sighed. "Didn't I just say why? Take it."

"But what was weird? Oh right...you being a Tatsubana?" Rin took the sack.

Kaori waved a hand. "Kito, that exchange." They had been having two different conversations there, rather Rin had been aware of it or not. "Any,way, open it."

"Alright," Rin took out the paper and pulled out a book. "Oh, very funny," he said flatly. "A beginner's guide to chess. Hilarious."

At that, Kaori couldn't help herself and laughed. She was rather proud of herself for the creativity of the gift and of course the utter brilliance of it as well.

"Yes, laugh now," Rin waved it. "But I'm going to read it!"

"Really?" Kaori asked, fighting back another smile as she got herself under control once more.

"Yes, and maybe I'll find the real rule," Rin looked proud of himself.

Kaori's lips twitched at that. She had surprisingly found much to be amused about the last day, which was odd. "Doubtful but let me know."

"Oh you bet I will," Rin nodded. "Then you can borrow my book."

"I think I'm alright," Kaori promised, reaching up and letting her hair free from her ponytail.

"That's what you think," Rin shrugged.

"Come on guys!" Reine Marseille nearly fell into the room. "We are all going out to dinner! Pre end of the semester party! Yay! Don't miss it!" She was gone as soon as she came.

Kaori fought back a grimace then glanced back at Rin. "If I have to go, you're going too," she warned. She wasn't very thrilled about this idea but at least she would have some entertainment.

"Fine, but let's make sure Yun and Katou are going," Rin agreed. At Tsukinose's nod of consent, they joined the others on the ground floor.

* * *

"This is your host Aimi Watanabe and my co-host Reo Tanaka here to bring you another update on the recovery of the Musutafu shopping district yesterday morning."

"Yes, Watanabe, after the horrific and total destruction of seven city streets, officials are saying that there are an estimated 23 casualties and 41 wounded or missing. Pro Heroes are still on the scene, rescuing trapped civilians and putting out the remaining fires. This was all the act of one civilian turned Villain, Hideki Shima, who Pro Heroes took into custody last evening. Hideki Shima was said to be a local street artist."

"On another disturbing note, Tanaka, another civilian turned Villain, calling himself Cross-Eyes, entered the television station of Shiki in downtown Musutafu last evening. He took the newscaster hostage, forcing them to broadcast the situation. During the stress of the event his switching quirk activated, placing several people from the station in Quirk Facilitations. Here is a clip from that broadcast."

 _The Pied Piper is coming for you! He's going to take your children away and drown them in your rivers of mediocracy. Heroes fall before him! The Pied Piper is coming for you!_

"After these words, it is reported that Cross-Eyes took his gun shooting the newscaster then himself through the head before Pro Heroes broke down the doors. The Shiki broadcasting program is currently holding the Number Two Pro Hero, Mirko, responsible for the deaths, because of her delay in arriving. Court dates are yet to be determined."

"Watanabe, this just came in and I have confirmation from the officials. In Keimusho Prison, where Hideki Shima, the villain who started the fires last night, word has just come. Shima was found dead in his cell. It appears Shima was slipped a sharp instrument and used his own blood to write these words."

 _The Pied Piper is coming._

"What could this mean, Tanaka? Are these two villains related? Who is this Pied Piper? What does he want? Join us tonight for more details and an interview with the chief of police and prison warden of Keimusho. Your hosts, I'm Aimi Watanabe and this is my co-host Reo Tanaka."

beep.

Frowning, Kaori turned from the television and stared down at the notes she had made. The Pied Piper was clearly a connection between these otherwise random events, but who was he? She would start with Hideki Shima, she thought. He was dead, but that didn't mean he didn't have answers. After a moment, she reached for her phone, then stood up, heading towards the stairs to go to her room. The conversation she was going to have was best not overhead. Once she reached her room, she quickly locked the door behind her. Moving over to one of her bookcases, she worked on quietly moving it along the wall. Once she had done this, a large cork board was revealed, pictures, articles and snippets of paper pinned to it. She added her notes then with another frown, she studied it for a moment.

Absently dialing a number, Kaori continued studying her work as she waited for her cousin to pick up. Once he did on the second ring, she cleared her throat. "Hiroto, I need you to give me all the information you can find on Hideki Shima."

* * *

 **After weeks and weeks of waiting...here's the ridiculous chapter. We aren't dead, just a little zombie ish. And so concludes "Season One" *oh listen to Lost Boys (not Lost Boy) Nightcore version. We think it's a fitting ending song.**

 ***cracks knuckles* Workin on the Sports Fes! Expect a shorter but quicker chapter soon!**


	19. Chapter 17

_Reviews with Alumni and Loki:_

 _Supreme Kai of Booty ~ Oh dear, do get better, being sick is the pits. Glad you liked it and don't feel bad about a small review. It was beautiful._

 _gold crown dragon ~ He is starting! Little seedling boy! It has been forever *wipes foreheads*_

 _LifeisBeautiful17 ~ That sounds awful. Glad you liked all the bonding! Now for some action in this chapter and the following ones!_

 _Attackin ~ Glad you liked the chapter! Who know's what the Piper's planning..._

 _Guest ~ We are not dead, just slowwwwwwww_

 _Firealis ~ Well...we never said there wouldn't be more ships...it's just those are the ones we have established so far...Lots of cuteness! Rin is a nosy butt. Nice! You've seen Kaori before!_

 _Starblitz1312 ~ Well this is the first time we have mentioned the tattoo *wink* mob is close but not exact...more to come on that aspect!_

 _Thewriter2004 ~ Thanks! We are so glad you are enjoying this!_

 _Artesys ~ Lots of development! You are going to enjoy this chapter!_

* * *

 _ **As an opening song look up 'Heroes of Today' Nightcore Version (*whispers* YouTube has a picture of our boy Deku on it!)**_

* * *

"Everyone just stay down," Yoyo shouted, waving his weapon in the air as he paced. None of this was going to plan.

A woman screamed from inside the building. Fume glanced at her sidekick, Jackal. "He's becoming panicked, at this point negotiations are off the table. We need to get in there before he shoots one of the hostages."

"Shut up, shut up," Yoyo shouted, spinning and raising his gun towards her. "I'll shoot you!"

"Sir please," Fume held up her hands as she stood up. "These people have nothing to do with this. Just put down your weapon."

Yoyo instantly jumped, eyes wild. "How the hell did you get in here?" he demanded.

"I'm one of the negotiators," Fume smiled. "Please can we talk?"

His eyes narrowed, Yoyo raised the gun in the woman's direction. "About what?" he snapped.

"What you want," Fume assumed a non-threatening position. "But we should let these innocent civilians go."

"No," Yoyo spat, tightening his grip on the gun. "You can't make me do anything you bitch."

"I wouldn't be making you, it would be your own choice," Fume shook her head slightly.

Yoyo scoffed. "And go to prison? I don't think so."

"Keeping these people only makes things worse," Fume pointed out. "If you let them go I'm sure the judge will see this as a clear sign of your willingness to cooperate."

"I want my money!" That was why Yoyo was doing that; it was just to get back what was his.

"This isn't the way to get it," Fume shook her head. "But let's talk about your money. Why do you need it?"

Yoyo scowled. "That's not of your business," he snapped.

"I just want to help," Fume smiled.

"Help," Yoyo scoffed the word.

"Please," Fume held out her hands.

Yoyo scowled sharply, his other hand taking the gun in a flurry of movement. "Just stay out of this."

"Escalating," Fume glanced at her sidekick, saying the words softly so that the Villain couldn't hear them.

"Just leave me alone!" Yoyo turned, beginning to pace. None of this was going to plan, why wasn't it unfolding the way it should?

"Just let these people go," Fume took a step forward.

Instantly, Yoyo took a step backwards. "Not going to happen!"

"Then I will have to take you down," Fume said sadly.

"I would like to see you try," Yoyo snapped. He wasn't afraid of her.

"Smokey Eye of the Hurricane!" Fume brought her right hand down against the palm of her left hand. Smoke, that she had gathered at the top of the ceiling came down swirling around them. She smiled, knowing Jackal was already speeding away to remove all the Hostages. Now she just had to take him down.

" _No_!" Yoyo reached out, his translucent arms stretching as he grabbed her burnt orange hair, slamming her backwards into the wall.

Fume cried out, moving to direct her smoke to make his eyes water. Her vision blurred. She had let her guard down and had to regain control of the situation.

"You bitch!" Yoyo slammed her head against the wall, again and again. She should never have interfered.

Fume staggered, calling her smoke to her. Her skin tingled as it surrounded them. What was going on? Where was Jackal?

"You should have left things alone!" Yoyo kept hitting her head against the wall. He would teach her a lesson.

"Jackal!" Fume cried out, her smoke whirling around her. The thick gray smoke clouded around the Villain Yoyo in her attempt to free herself.

Coughing, Yoyo lessened his grip. His eyes were stinging and a tickle formed in his throat.

Head spinning, Fume's eyes rolled back into her head. Darkness was swallowing her up. However all of a sudden the beating stopped. Grateful, she focused on clearing the darkness away.

Gasping, Yoyo clutched at his throat, staggering backwards. Suddenly, he dropped to the ground, limp.

The smoke continued to whirl around her as she collapsed to her knees. She needed to deactivate her quirk before she spiraled further out of control. But everything was spinning and she couldn't get a hold of her thoughts. Sounds pounded in her ears and her limbs felt unbelievably heavy. What was going on? Was her smoke gone? Where had the Villain gone? She couldn't let him escape and hurt more people. She was a Hero, she saved people. Words filtered in through the hammering in her ears.

"Hero Fume? Are you there? What has she done? Someone get a medic! Get that media out of here! Come on Fume stay with me."

* * *

" _Pro Hero Fume strangled the Villain to death with her Smoke Quirk Two Days ago, as well as leaving her sidekick with severe lung damage. She is facing severe charges for her actions though officials say that she may get off, being a Pro Hero. However this does not excuse her actions. There are laws for this reason. The Hero Fume must pay for her actions. As concerned citizens this Hero should not be allowed to resume field work. Protect your children. Dangerous people like this should be stopped."_

She really should stop, but at this point who cared? The media wasn't through blasting her yet. With a shaking hand she poured another glass. Ever since she had come off the pain medications this was the only thing that came close to alleviating the pain. Her thoughts drifted as she slowly drained the glass. Picking up the bottle, she frowned as the liquid spilled over the sides of the glass. What the hell. She brought the bottle to her lips, downing the remains, feeling it burn down her throat.

* * *

Taking a deep breath then letting it out slowly, Akio slipped his phone back into his pocket then rubbed the back of his neck. He had stolen away, needing a few moments of silence, but had ended up taking a call from both his parents. He sighed again, then closed his eyes, leaning back in the chair and sprawling across it. He wasn't sure he was ready for this.

He didn't suspect a thing. Fumihiro held his hands over his mouth to prevent any squeals from escaping as he approached the chair.

Grinning at her twin, Fujie crept up on Akio's other side, eyes bright. Their brother was completely unaware of either of them.

Takeshi rolled his eyes fondly, preparing to shout as loud as the others. He vaguely wondered how much Akio would jump.

Watching them, Chiyo sighed silently, yet she couldn't keep from smiling. She had given up being a dignified adult around her siblings a long time ago.

Mayako took a deep breath, the word 'surprise' on her lips. She looked up at their eldest brother for confirmation.

Eimi stopped quietly in front of Akio, glancing at Youta too. If Akio was mad about this, they could put the blame on their eldest brother as they usually did when their stunts went wrong.

Youta smiled, rubbing the scruff on his chin, as he stopped. Nodding at his younger siblings, he grabbed the chair, pinning Akio to it. "Surprise!" He bellowed in his little brother's ear. The others joined him with a deafening roar.

His eyes flying open, Akio startled, almost falling from his chair. Surprise filled his expression as he stared at his seven siblings and for several long moments, he did nothing but that. Finally, he rolled his eyes and forced himself to be relaxed again. "That was completely uncalled for," he muttered.

"The look on your face!" Takeshi laughed hysterically, pointing at Akio. "Aha! It was worth everything to get here!"

Akio crossed his arms, glaring at his older brother. "Really, Take?" he asked, rising an unimpressed eyebrow even as Fujie wrapped herself around him like some sort of monkey. He sighed, giving in and hugging her back.

Fumihiro uncovered his ears, smirking all the time having clearly enjoyed it. He jumped up onto Akio's lap.

His lips twitching despite his best intentions, Akio wrapped his free arm around his youngest sibling. "How did you all get here anyway?" he asked, then frowned. "And why? Aren't some of you supposed to be working?"

"Chiyo and I are working but our bosses let us have a break when they found out you were competing this year," Youta explained.

"I'm off," Takeshi grinned, stretching lazily. "I'm gonna sit and watch you work your butt off while having the time of my life. Oh this guy's off too." He grabbed his older brother trying to sneak off. "You know since his boss is broadcasting the competition."

"Of course you are," Akio grumbled. His siblings were all ridiculous but especially Takeshi; his brother seemed to take great delight in seeing him as uncomfortable as possible. His gaze flickered to his other brother who had managed to remain unnoticed until now. "Hitoshi," he said with a small, but genuine smile. He hadn't been expecting to see him, but it was nice anyway.

Looking distantly uncomfortable, Hitoshi gave a wave then looked sideways at Takeshi, clearly wondering how he could manage to finish making his exit.

Resting his arm on Hitoshi's head, Takeshi grinned. "Guess everyone will know you're only our half brother, you know why?"

Hitoshi sighed, rolling his eyes as he made a move to get free. "Why?" he asked flatly, very aware of where this was going.

Chiyo rested her hand against her forehead. She looked at Youta, mouthing "he's your brother." Her and Youta usually disowned at least one sibling per day it seemed.

Ignoring them, Takeshi continued, a stupid grin on his face. "Because he's only half our height!"

Finally shrugging him off, Hitoshi crossed his arms over his chest. "I haven't noticed," he said dryly, even as Eimi giggled. He wasn't as annoyed as he was pretending, knowing Takeshi only teased him out of good humor. When he did it, it made Hitoshi feel like one of them. It was nice, to be included in this family of ragtag siblings.

Mayako rolled her eyes, trying to be big like her sister Chiyo, "Ridiculous."

Chiyo grinned as she heard her sister, then reached out, offering her a fist to bump hers against. "They're boys. Of course they are."

Mayako grinned, nodding her agreement.

"I'm hungry," Fujie whined, pausing in her braiding of Akio's hair. He had been ignoring her, used to her fiddling with it every time they were together. She couldn't help he had such nice hair. "Can we go get something to eat before the festival?"

"Me too," Fumihiro added quickly.

"I think it's a great idea," Youta nodded. "I saw several food stalls, as usual."

"You're coming too," Eimi said firmly,eyeing Hitoshi who had been opening his mouth to make up an excuse as to why he couldn't join them. They had known about him for five years now; he shouldn't be so shy.

Hitoshi sighed, giving in. He couldn't argue against her; she had him wrapped around her finger and she knew it. "Alright, fine."

Akio stood, still holding both his younger siblings though Fujie was attached to his back now. "I have some time," he said, deciding that perhaps food would help. If anything, his siblings would help keep his mind off the festival, at least for a while.

"AKIO!" Keoko burst into the room, running over. She paused, looking up at all his siblings. "Oh hey everyone, it's been a while." Turning her attention back on Akio, she held out her hands, covered with a purple goop. "HELP!" she shrieked.

Akio sighed, looking down at her hands. "What happened?" he asked, not sure what he could do. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Fujie wave.

"It was all over my locker!" Keoko shook her hands. "I can't get it off! It's because of those General Studies Twins! They confused my locker with Rakugaki or Moto!"

"Can't you animate the goop?" Akio asked after a moment, thinking that made the most sense. In truth he had forgotten all about the prank war between his class and General Studies, staying as far out of it as he could possibly get.

"Oh," Keoko stared down at her hands. "I guess so." She activated her quirk, having the goop fall off her hands. It flopped against the floor. Clapping her hands together she smirked. "Great, now I don't have to worry about being on tv with purple hands!"

Akio's lips twitched into a small smile. "We don't want that," he agreed, then nodded. "We're going to find some food if you want to come."

"Yummy," Keoko smiled. "That sounds great! Uh...can I bring the others?" she asked, standing on her tiptoes.

Akio shrugged, glancing at his sibling. "Why not?" They wouldn't think anything of having a few extra faces around.

"Good, I'll call them," Keoko grabbed her phone. "Where should we meet?"

"I'm sure you'll see us," Eimi said with a grin. "Especially Youta." She had never known anyone taller than her older brother, except their grandfather of course.

"Right!" Keoko grinned. "See you soon!" She ran off to find the others.

* * *

"There they are!" Keoko pointed, leading a reluctant Eizen and an equally exuberant Akari towards the Saito siblings.

Akari was clutching at Eizen's arm, her eyes growing wider by the moment. "I can't believe it," she breathed.

"I didn't know you didn't know these Pros were Akio's siblings," Keoko grinned. "I bet you can get all their autographs."

"Do you think they would mind?" Akari quickly looked at Keoko, expression hopeful. She wondered yet again how she didn't realize who Akio's family was. This was amazing.

"Nope," Keoko grinned. "And if you don't want to ask I can totally ask for you. They are super relaxed and kinda dorky."

"Dorky? They seem so cool and…" Akari trailed off, staring the second tallest boy. She swallowed hard, clutching Eizen's arm tighter. He grunted, but she paid him barely any attention. "That's Tsunami!"

"Yeah, he's the third one to be a Pro, he's cool!" Keoko agreed. "Come on they're waiting."

Feeling as if she was in a dream Akari followed Keoko, unable to stop staring at any of them, but especially Takesh Saitoi. She had always had a bit of a crush on him, ever since he came on the hero scene but now that she knew of his connection to Akio, she wasn't sure what to think. But his good looks and easy smile were even more apparent than before now that she was so close and she didn't know what to do.

"Hey everyone!" Keoko grinned. "This is Eizen Saito, who I'm pretty sure is a distant cousin of yours, and this is Akari Seishin, a huge fan of you guys!"

"A cousin?" Fujie asked, still hanging onto Akio's back. Her eyes widened as she looked down at the boy. "You're scowly, like Akio."

I didn't know we had another cousin," Mayako looked thoughtfully down at the boy.

Akio rolled his eyes, then gave Eizen a look, as if to tell him he would get used to it. Eizen nodded knowingly back.

"Cascade, Aquarius...Tsunami." Akari felt her cheeks flush as she said the last name and she hoped it wasn't noticeable. "I'm a big fan. It's so nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," Youta smiled. "It's good to see more young people interested in becoming heroes."

"Call me Chiyo," she said, pushing back thick purple hair from her face. She gave the girl a smile, then noting the blush, glanced at Takeshi. Well, that would be fun to tease him about later.

"Call me Take," Takeshi jabbed a thumb at himself, giving Hitoshi a warning look. "That's what everyone calls me anyways. Plus I'm not on duty and you are Akio's friends."

Hitoshi just gave him an unimpressed look right back then glanced away again. He was getting uncomfortable; this was why he worked underground, he supposed.

Take. Akari swallowed hard, feeling her face burn even more than it had been before. Why was he so cute? She really could understand why he ranked first in the nation's cutest heroes. "It really is nice to meet you all," she blurted. "I had no idea Akio was you brother."

"Yeah, we are nothing alike," Takeshi rubbed his knuckles over Akio's head. "It's the hair. But I talk more so there's that."

Without looking up, Akio gave his brother's hand a hard slap. Takeshi was right about him talking a lot more...he, Eimi and the twins were the only ones in the family who could go to a wall and have a thorough discussion with it.

"Well is everyone hungry?" Youta asked, getting a hearty yes from the twins.

"Starving," Eimi said seriously, looking around. Everything smelled delicious.

"Let's go!" Fumihiro cheered.

* * *

"Good luck Akio!" Mayako cheered.

Chiyo nodded at her younger brother and got a small smile back in response. The exchange said everything words couldn't with them.

"We'll be rooting for you,' Fujie said, giving Akio a tight hug.

"Me too," Fumihiro held out his fist for a bump.

Sighing, though he was smiling, Akio returned the hug then reached out, bumping his brother's fist back. "Thanks," he murmured.

Eimi gave him a large grin. "Show them how awesome Saitos are!"

"You'll do just fine," Youta nodded sternly.

Hitoshi didn't say anything, simply following his sister's lead and giving Akio a nod. He was rewarded with another back. He wasn't worried about his brother; he would do just fine out there.

Takeshi grinned. "Do your best! All of you, but I have to root for Akio...obligation as a brother."

Akio rolled his eyes, turning away to hide a smile. "Tell mom I'll see her afterwards," he said over his shoulder.

"Bye everyone!" Keoko waved, pulling Eizen along as she ran back towards the waiting rooms in the arena.

Akari hesitated, glancing down for a moment. She had gotten Youta and Chiyo's autographs, helped by Keoko, but not Takeshi's yet. She had been willing her blush to fade before she approached him. She bit her lower lip, then spun around on her heel. "Can I have your autograph too?" she blurted, not able to look at Takeshi.

"Oh, sure!" Takeshi nodded, jabbing a finger at Hitoshi. "You'll want one from this guy too, he's an underground hero and they are super hard to get autographs from, but if you want I'll pin him down."

Hitoshi, his arms crossed, looked into the distance. He wasn't going to confirm he heard the exchange.

"I would love that," Akari said, eyes widening as she glanced at the young man. She had no idea who he was, he hadn't mentioned a hero name at all, but she was very excited to have his autograph too. Akio really should have mentioned just how amazing his family was.

Takeshi took her notebook, signing his name with a wave symbol underneath. "There you go."

"Thank you," Akari said, face beginning to be flushed again as she watched him.

"Have fun and good luck," Takeshi nodded. "Hey Hitoshi, give her your signature. It won't hurt."

Not entirely sure about that, Hitoshi sighed, giving in. He knew if he didn't, Takeshi wouldn't let him hear the end of it; for some reason, his brother decided that he was his keeper. Reaching out, he signed his name quickly, a scribble of his hero name before slinking back several steps.

Akari, her blush deepening as she accidently met Takeshi's eyes, murmured her thanks to both of them, then darted after Keoko and Eizen, clutching her notebook to her chest. She didn't even care if she placed or not nw; nothing would top this moment.

Takeshi ran after Akio, falling into place beside him. "Hey, I know you don't need anyone telling you what to do, but I wouldn't take any phone calls. Try not to worry about them too much. They'll battle things out as usual. Focus on the competition."

Akio huffed a sound that might have been a laugh. "Too late. I've already talked to them already."

Takeshi made a groaning sound. "Well I'm sorry about that."

"Doesn't matter. It is what it is." Akio shrugged a shoulder, telling himself that he wasn't bothered by any of it.

"Well unfortunately he's decided to attend," Takeshi said. "Just keep your head in the game."

Akio stopped, reaching up and rubbing the bride of his nose. "I told him I would rather not have him here," he muttered. He couldn't say he was surprised that he hadn't listened. Their dad never did.

"Yeah well, I wish I could stop it, just know that everyone else is here supporting you all the way," Takeshi said smiling.

Akio managed a small smile back. "Thanks, Take," he murmured. He appreciated that his siblings would always be there.

"Do your best," Takeshi gave him a thumbs up. "I'm going to keep an eye on Hitoshi."

"Someone has too," Akari agreed quietly, then quickly gave him a returned thumbs up. "I'll see you after."

"He'll do alright," Takeshi grinned, returning to his siblings.

"Of course he will. He's Akio." A moment passed then Chiyo smirked. "I think someone has a crush on you."

"What do you mean?" Takeshi looked confused.

Fujie giggled, then fluttered her lashes at him. "Akari couldn't stop staring at you," she said, obviously doing an impression of the older girl.

"She's just a big fan of heroes," Takeshi shrugged.

"Of you," Mayako grinned.

"It's you for sure," Eimi said with a grin just as wide.

"A lot of highschool girls get crushes on heroes," Takeshi shrugged. "It isn't anything new."

"I've never seen anyone as red as she was," Eimi mused thoughtly, purple eyes bright. She thought it was all rather sweet. Akari seemed really nice.

"Well it doesn't really matter, though it is kind of sweet," Takeshi said. "I didn't know I had that kind of fan appreciation. But it's still pretty weird."

"Good, he still doesn't know," Youta muttered to Chiyo.

Hitoshi made a sound that might have been a muffled laugh, but it was quiet and gone quickly.

"And he won't ever know," Chiyo murmured back at her brother. Takeshi already had a huge head as it was.

"What's going on back there," Takeshi shot them a suspicious look.

"We're talking about how ridiculous you are," Chiyo said easily, shrugging a shoulder.

"Of course," Takeshi rolled his eyes.

"It's because you are," Chiyo said with a full-fledged grin. Takeshi was far too easy to mess with, even more so than Akio.

"Am not," Takeshi argued. "Shouldn't you be back on duty?"

Chiyo waved a hand. "We'll head out once we get you all seated and with mom."

"I can find mom and get everyone seated just fine," Takeshi said, shooting her a winning smile.

At that, Chiyo glanced at Youta, asking him if he thought that was believable or not.

Youta grunted, neither confirming nor denying, but Chiyo would know what he meant.

Knowing what he meant, Chiyo glanced back at their younger brother, eyebrow raised.

"Wow, thanks guys," Takeshi said flatly.

Not looking the least bit bothered by his annoyance, Chiyo shrugged then turned. "Come on." The games were about to start and she hoped she would get a few minutes to see her younger brother in action.

* * *

"WELCOME LADIES AND GENTLEMAN, PRO HEROES AND CIVILIANS TO THE U.A. SPORTS FESTIVAL!"

Fireworks exploded over the arena as the crowds went wild. Drinking it all in Present Mic went on without hesitation.

"NOW HERE COMES THE MOMENT EVERYONE HAS BEEN WAITING FOR, THE UNVEILING OF THE FIRST YEARS! EVERYONE JOIN ME IN GIVING A HUGE WELCOME TO THEM! HERE THEY COME! LET'S WELCOME CLASS 1A TO THE STAGE!"

"I don't know about this," Anamiya murmured, eyes wide. He was finding it hard to actually get his feet to move. They felt like they were encased with concrete or someone. On one side, Sutoi Daitenshi was talking to Rakugaki, apparently looking for his sister and parents in the crowd. On his other, there was Rin, looking like some sort of trainwreck. He opened his mouth, to ask if he was alright, then felt his already knotted stomach try to twist even more. He quickly clamped his teeth together. He hated this, hated being under such scrutiny. He was going to mess up out here, he was certain; he just wanted to make his parents proud.

"You'll be just fine," Genjiro grinned, looking around. He knew his uncle couldn't be there, but he was probably watching from the restaurant's televisions. "This is going to be awesome." There were a lot of people here, but it seemed to fuel his excitement.

Awesome wasn't the word that Anamiya would describe it, not by far, but he decided against saying anything. He really did feel sick. Something caught his attention and he looked past Genjiro, finding a girl with silver hair standing by Kinoshita, already arguing over something with Rokuro Saito. He thought her name was Yukiko Ikeda, though he wasn't certain as she usually kept to herself or with late Kinoshita and Rakugaki. Either way, now that he was getting such a view of her, he thought she was perhaps the prettiest girl he had ever seen before. Face instantly reddening as he registered the thought, he quickly looked away, hoping Genjiro didn't see. He didn't want to be teased.

"You look like shit," Kaori said, glancing sideways at expression was not one of anything but deep set boredom.

"Thanks, I feel like shit too," Rin muttered, sucking in a ragged breath past the cigarette. Staying up for an entire week, blasting crazy music to keep himself awake, eating nothing but junk food, and chain smoking resulted in nothing but shit. He was going to pass out right here on the field if they didn't start soon.

"You smell when you do that," Kaori said, a note of disapproval in her voice as she glanced from the cigarette to him. She knew why he did it, of course she did, but that didn't mean she had to agree with it.

"Excuse me," Rin huffed a breath. "I'll go smell somewhere else."

Kaori pulled back her hair into a slick ponytail. "Why? To make everyone else miserable?" She shrugged. "Stay."

"Aren't you supposed to be giving a speech?" Rin asked, as Present Mic introduced the other classes.

"I was fine with letting Raiji or Katou do it," Kaori said, watching the other classes intently as she made careful notes of each.

"Does the invincible Kaori not like giving speeches to crowds?" A teasing tone entered Rin's voice as he dropped the cigarette, grinding it under his heel.

Kaori narrowed her eyes slightly then looked at him. "Are you trying to imply something Rin?" she asked, certain he was but what she wasn't sure. He was both the most obvious person and the least. Was he really teasing her? How odd.

"I mean you're the closest one to being a Pro Hero we have in the class," Rin pointed out. "It's kind of funny you don't want to give a speech."

"That's true," Kaori admitted, shrugging a shoulder. She was very aware that she was; experience would do that. "Of course I want to do this." She turned away from him, waiting. The words were already ready to be spoken.

"And now an address from our top ranking Class A Student." Pro Hero Midnight waved her whip towards Kaori Tsukinose.

"I want to give a thank you to all our teachers here at U.A." Kaori said; her words were oddly measured but so was her smile. "Without their help and guidance, we wouldn't be here today." She glanced away from the Pros, studying her fellow students with an obvious unimpressed air. "And I want to the other students a head's up." Her smile slowly turned into a full fledged smirk. "I won't make this easy on any of you."

"WOW WHAT A CHALLENGE! AND NOW FOLKS FOR OUR MAIN EVENT, THE FIRST TRIAL THESE STUDENTS WILL HAVE TO FACE AND WHO WILL COME OUT ON TOP? JOIN US RIGHT AFTER THIS COMMERCIAL!"

Teacher and Pro Hero Cementoss bent, moving the stage away and enforcing the walls around the arena. The students were told to gather on the grassy lawn.

Akio had no idea what he and the other seventy-nine students were about to get into, but they would soon. He took a deep, steady breath, then released it in a soft exhale, letting the action work the tension out of his shoulders. He would do his best to make his family proud.

"ALRIGHT WELCOME BACK TO THIS LIVE COVERAGE OF U.A.'S ANNUAL SPORTS FESTIVAL, WITH YOUR HOST, PRESENT MIC! JOINING ME IS MY CO-HOST, ERASERHEAD! AFTER THAT CHILLING ENTRANCE FROM CLASS A, CLASS B, SUPPORT CLASS, AND GENERAL STUDIES I BET THOSE OF YOU WATCHING ARE READY FOR THE MAIN EVENT! IF YOU ARE JUST NOW JOINING US, TEACHER AND HERO, MIDNIGHT IS WAITING TO ANNOUNCE THE FIRST GAME!"

A screen lowered, enlarged by the numerous cameras surrounding it. It spun at a dizzying speed, before large letters in bold yellow print inked themselves across the blue background.

 **THE ABYSS**

Whispers spread like wildfire through the students. Abyss? What did that mean? What was this first game all about? Midnight's whip cut through the air.

"You have 5 seconds!" She explained, a glowing red five appeared above her head, counting down quickly.

Abyss? Akio had no idea what that could be and he wasn't sure if he was glad of his ignorance or not. Taking another deep breath, he glanced over at Keoko, who was talking to Eizen, or at Eizen anyway. He shook his head, looking back at the countdown. He would always try to protect her, but it seemed another was beginning to share that responsibility with him, rather he had any idea or not. He was glad of that; Keoko needed constant watching.

The number dropped to zero, flashing green. All of a sudden the ground jolted, dropping suddenly downward at a startling speed. A few students screamed or yelled at the surprise, clutching onto one another as the ground kept descending at a rapid pace. Just as quickly as it had dropped, the ground shook to a stop. The light from above shone brightly far above them. Red and green lights flashed on, showing several different doorways, halls, and staircases running up towards the top.

"Alright everyone! The Abyss is very simple," Midnight's voice rang through speakers. "Your goal is to be the first student to emerge at the top. Quirks allowed. The walls however are made out of Quirk nullifying materials so you can't get through them. This means you'll have to choose the right path to the top. Ready? Begin!"

Sharing a look with Akio, Eizen found himself not concerned about how this played out. He fell into step with Akari, who had taken off; he knew Akio and Keoko would be close behind. It probably didn't make much sense to the others, them all sticking together, but that was what they did. A part of him hoped one of his best friends won, another part his brother; Rokuro deserved recognition. He refused to take it away from him again.

"No problem," Reine grinned excitedly, the flashing lights illuminating her arm as she held it out. Not much luck down here, but she would be ready. "I hope to see everyone at the finish line, good luck!" This was so exciting! She could hardly focus...whoa was that a pinpointing quirk? That was awesome! She had to talk to this person!

Her mind working quickly through plans, before settling on the most logical option, Hikari blinked rapidly, getting her eyes adjusted to the fleeting light. Genjiro Katou was on one side and Hanami on the other. If this wasn't the race that it was, she would be fascinated with all the other Quirks that were being used around her. It was all beyond interesting to her. She supposed because of her scientist mother, she thirsted with the desire to understand how everything worked.

Kaede sent a low note throughout the maze gathering her bearings. Up was the only way to go, though it was rather twisted into passageways. Already quirks were being used and small fights breaking out. This was nothing but a mess. But that was the point, right? This was a test to prove how fast they could get through the chaos and organize teams and get to the top without losing your own cool?

"THE FIRST FORTY STUDENTS TO REACH THE TOP PASS TO THE NEXT ROUND!"

This was going to be a disaster, there was no doubt about it. There was also a million ways this could go wrong; it probably would. He didn't want to do this. He should go. This would be a perfect trap with all the students gathered like this. Didn't the teachers realize this? Liam fell back, deciding that he really wasn't keen on doing this anymore. They shouldn't make it mandatory.

Rokuro Saito grabbed him by the back of his shirt. "You aren't thinking about falling behind, are you? This is the way to catch the eyes of the Heroes." He gave Liam a long hard look.

Liam looked everywhere but Rokuro, dark eyes darting wildly. Perhaps the other boy was right. He wanted the Heroes to understand that he was nothing like his parents, that if anything, he was like his brother instead.

"Man up," Rokuro shook him a little bit before letting him go. "We are going to win this thing and beat every other class."

"Alright," Liam murmured, realizing that perhaps Rokuro was making a rather solid argument here. Pushing away his paranoia, or was it just carefulness?, he nodded slowly.

"Now wouldn't your quirk be really handy in here?" Rokuro glared at Liam. The kid couldn't embaress the whole class by not passing.

Liam shrugged a shoulder. It would. He was one of the better suited ones for this type of event, he supposed.

"We'll fight together," Haruto joined them, cracking his knuckles.

"Idiots, this is not a Battle Royale, it's a race of wits," Kaede ran past them.

"I knew that!" Rokuro shouted after her, increasing his speed.

Slipping into his shadow form, Liam quickly went after them, sliding along the walls. He realized he had something to prove. If not to the heros, to this school, then his fellow students. Even though he was sure Rokuro had his own motivations to get him going, it still prompted him to go and he appreciated nothing like he appreciated loyalty.

Yukiko took a deep breath. So many people here. She had to be careful. She wanted to make her way to the top. In the chaos she hadn't picked up if anyone had made it out first. Determination in her eyes she touched the floor, dropping the temperature of the moisture of the air. Fortunately it had rained the night before. Frost crept around the walls and floor and she skated on thin sheets of ice down the way.

As her Quirk wasn't really made for a situation like this, and not feeling comfortable using it against her teammate in any fashion, Akari just focused on running, keeping close to Keoko and the boys. She wanted nothing more than all her friends to make it as far as they could. She would be proud of them no matter where they all ended up placing.

Yajima flipped his hair, adjusting his glasses. Gray walls forming a maze like path to the top. What a challenge. He would just have to follow the path leading out, an easy task. He smiled at a flashing light, obviously a camera, sending a wink to all the girls on the outside. This would be a piece of cake and then he would be the winner and everyone would love him. Even his parents couldn't deny that.

Using his Quirk to chase away some of the shadows, Sutoi was able to clearly see all his friends. They were keeping up with one another pretty good. He hoped all his classmates would be able to make it to the next stage. He grinned at the thought; the smile instantly fell away when he thought of his parents and sister watching. His sister better not be embarrassing around the girls, especially Hinata...and of course Reine and Fuyuki.

Hinata grinned, running through the levels. She couldn't use her quirk much right now. Her surface needed to be large enough to pop out of. But she was having a great time and all the parkour lessons she had taken really came to be an advantage. She ran along the wall, using a Class B boy's head to balance herself.

Uneasy, Anamiya kept to the walls as much as he could, flinching when someone got too close to him. He wasn't at all confident in his ability to get through this, he really hated being around so many people like this, but he knew his friends were counting on him. He didn't want to let them down, so he fought to ignore the tightness in his chest. He wouldn't panic, not now.

Three mores students dropped as they rushed to attack. Rin straightened up, looking better than he did at the beginning. "Come on, we are almost to the second level. I think we've run into every dead end so far."

Kaori raised an eyebrow at the display, but didn't say anything. She would have to watch him carefully; if they were going to show the others Class A was not to be messed with, she didn't need him to pass out. "No. There's still two we haven't found."

"That's why you are our strategist," Genjiro grinned. "You are supposed to keep us out of trouble. Rin's support and Anamiya and I are front attackers."

Anamiya managed a weak smile at that. "We're something," he murmured, not exactly attacking anyone.

Keoko grinned as she skipped down the hall behind Akio. His height parted many students vying for first and she had taken a stand in the wake behind him. "Come on, let's go!" she urged cheerfully. "You can be first place, I guess, and I'll be satisfied with second place."

Akio glanced down at her, raising his eyebrow. "Who says I'm getting first?" he asked, rolling his eyes as he heard some scuffle break out behind him.

"Because everyone else is moving out of your way," Keoko smiled.

Akio shrugged a shoulder. He supposed his height might be good for something after all. "Stay close," he murmured, fairly certain she would get lost in the crowd, considering how small she was.

"I will, it's easier to walk this way," Keoko replied.

"If you see Eizen and Akari, get them to join us," Akio said, continuing to stride forward.

"Alright!" Keoko nodded, looking around for them.

Adjusting her gloves, Hanami continued running, knowing exactly how to pace herself so she was able to keep steady. She saw Hikari and Yukiko and she gave them both a wave across the crowd. She liked both of them; she would have to take them shopping or something sometime. Pushing away the thought, she focused on the task at hand. She was going to win this and nothing would stop her.

Fuyuki jumped past the player in the lead, eyes darting around as she chose the doorway to the left. Running down the passageway she took a deep breath. She had trained for this. This moment was being broadcast on television. Smoke lifted from her dark gray skin, bubbling in clouds behind her. She would show them, show the world, that she wasn't her mother. She was a Hero! This was her first appearance in the very world that had ended everything.

So it began.

* * *

 **The Sports Festival Begins!**

 **We wanted to showcase each character a bit, so we'll delve deeper into the Abyss next chapter! Inspiration for the Abyss comes from a mixture of Laser Tag and a Corn Maze. Everyone likes to call Mazes "Labyrinths" and being the dramatic people we are...we decided to pick a different name.**

 **Ohhh and another squad was introduced fully!**

 _ ***drumroll***_

 **The Angry Boi Control Squad!**

 **Members include: Rokuro Saito, Haruto Hanko, Liam Crook, and Kaede** **Kōmori**

 **Hope you enjoyed the chapter! See ya next time!**


	20. Chapter 18

_Review Replies with Alumni and Loki_

 _61394: Kaede definitely has her work cut out for her as you'll soon seen. We hope you enjoy the Festival!_

 _Supreme Kai of Booty: (On that note, Loki gets a giggle every time she sees your username...she approves) We salute you for your excellent puns and we're very excited to work with Mirai when the time comes; we think she'll be pretty close to exactly that. Haha, we've all been there! Thank you for the review, hope you enjoy!_

 _gold crown dragon: Haha, glad you approve! (This might be more than just potential *shrugs*)_

 _LifeisBeautiful17: Yes, they are! Yeah...poor Fume...she really didn't mean to do that. Yeah, there's a lot of them for sure! (9 in all) Haha, yeah Anamiya and Yukiko are going to be pretty fun to explore later on (unexpected but we think it'll be sweet) We have lots of surprises, as well as twists and turns, in store, so we hope you like them!_

 _Starblitz1312:Thank you for mentioning it; we made sure to change that. We're glad you enjoyed all of that and we definitely agree with you about Anamiya and Yukiko. (A triple date, or even a quadruple one would be hilarious. We'll see what ends up happening!) We're glad to hear that you're enjoying Krio; they have quite the adventure waiting them. We hope you like everything!_

 _Attackin: We're pleased to hear that! We hope you like the rest as it unfolds (It is a fun squad, that's for sure)_

 _Firealis: A very strong chance since they seem to be on opposite sides of the personality stick. It was definitely a wild ride and we hope that this chapter is too. Yeah, we're proud of our lil' Anamiya...he's growing up and he's such a sweetheart. We're glad you liked things, such as the maze and new squad name, and hope this chapter is worth the wait!_

 _MysteryAgain: We hope you enjoy our newest chapter! The Maze proved to be quite fun_

 _Butterfly Chikage: It's completely fine; we understand and always look forward to hearing your thoughts. We have to admit that was one of our favorite scenes to write and haha, we really can't blame them for that. It was indeed Fuyuki's mom...and SPOILER ALERT...not a villain but very much disgraced END SPOILER ALERT Oh, a parents day/parent-teacher conference is a great idea and is certainly something to explore when we can...talk about chaos. But there's a strong possibility that you're right about those new ships...but hehe time will tell! Thank you so much and we hope this (overdue) chapter lives up to the hype. We hope you did great on your exams!_

 _Artesys: We're glad you enjoyed the chapter and hope you do this one too. Enjoy!_

 _Ajwin11: We're glad to hear that you're feeling better and thank you for sharing your thoughts; it's always good to hear from you. We're very glad you enjoyed chapter 15: it was one of our favorites to write and we're glad that you enjoyed it as much as we did. Chapter 16: Well, that certainly makes us happy! I'm glad we could turn an overdone trope into something fresh and interesting, and even enjoyable too! Chapter 17: Excellent to hear! Hope you enjoy this chapter and we'll have even more soon._

* * *

Fuyuki gritted her teeth as she slid to a halt in front of the stone hallway. This hallway wouldn't be so easy. Now that she was on the third floor things were beginning to get difficult. The others weren't far behind. She needed to win this, but how? How to walk across a floor that meant some sort of hindering trap? She studied it for a while, trying to come up with a solution.

"You have to walk across the right tiles," Kaori said, appearing behind the other girl and eyeing the floor. It took her only a moment to figure out the idea behind it. Terribly predictable. "Every third one it appears until you reach the halfway point then it's every second one."

"I don't need help," Fuyuki clenched her fist. "I can do this." She didn't need help, she needed to win this for herself.

Kaori rolled her eyes. "I'm not helping you," she pointed out. "I'm simply observing something." Moto had a lot to prove, but considering what happened with her mother, she couldn't say she was surprised.

Fuyuki took a deep breath. This was about observation, assessing a situation and she had just failed. Or had she? Heroes relied on each other. But she had to come through first. It took only the smallest mistake to bring others down with you. Taking another deep breath she stepped out onto a tile. She pulled her smoke out in front of her, effectively blocking vision to the other side. She wasn't about to let Tsukinose in front of her by way of quirk.

Waiting for the others to catch up, only because she would never hear the end of it from Rin, and annoyed that she hadn't been allowed her belt, Kaori watched Moto as much as she could through the smoke.

"Kaori!" Rin ran up. "Sorry we had a run in with some Support Class, who tried to get ahead. What's this? Ooh a combination."

Kaori nodded, having figured something like this had happened. "Every third tile then the second one when you reach halfway."

"That's tricky, I wonder what happens if you step on the wrong tile," Genjiro said joining them. "Should we warn the others?"

Staring intently at the floor, Kaori shrugged a shoulder. "It's simply goo," she said.

Anamiya made a face at that. Goo? That didn't sound like something he would consider simple. He thought they should let the others know; it sounded unpleasant.

"Smelly at that," Rin sniffed the air. "We'll watch our step." He carefully started across the floor.

Karoi followed, each step light and careful. "I applaud their creativity." Had it been Kito? Perhaps. He always did like finding amusement in whatever situations he could.

"I hope nobody gets too doused," Genjiro said. "I wonder who will, guess we will have to see at the end."

"It's not our problem if they do." Kaori jumped to another tile, then another. "If they're stupid enough to go across without understanding what they're getting into, it's simply their own fault."

Not entirely sure he agreed with this, Anamiya concentrated on what his feet were doing. He really didn't want to miss a step. That goo really stunk.

"That's not nice," Genjiro wrinkled his nose.

"When am I ever nice?" Kaori rolled her eyes, then stopped. "Halfway point. We need to step on every other now."

"Thanks," Rin nodded. "You know it doesn't feel right not helping the others. Aren't Heroes supposed to help Heroes?"

Anamiya paused, Rin's words echoing the the thoughts he had been having with each step he took. "I'll go back," he decided. "Pass the word along, then catch up?"

"Alright," Rin nodded. "This will also curry favor," He glanced at Kaori. "So if we need help in another level."

Kaori slowly nodded, seeing the advantage of that. "Doubtful, but it is always good to have options," she agreed.

"Allies mean better chances," Rin gave her a thumbs up. "We might need more than four people at some point."

Kaori nodded again, glancing as Anamiya began retracing his steps. "I can agree with this," she admitted. "It's always important to have allies."

"Right," Rin nodded, glad he had persuaded her.

"You're surprised I agree." Kaori's question really wasn't one. Glancing at him sideways, she kept walking.

"Only mildly," Rin shrugged.

"It happens but don't get used to it," Kaori warned, though she was smiling, just slightly. He was amusing in his own way.

"I will relish this moment," Rin promised, stepping out onto the regular flooring again.

Kaori followed. "I'm sure you will," she murmured, looking around. So far, they had done well.

* * *

Keoko skipped along, twirling her approved magnetic spheres around her fingers. "So I'm bored," she stated.

Akari giggled, not surprised. It had only been a matter of time. "Well, I'm not sure what we can do to help with that."

"Does this ever get interesting?" Keoko sighed. "We are just going around in circles. Literally, circles."

"How would we know?" Eizen asked, not at all bored. Now that they were away from the main crowd, he found the silence to be nice.

"When we decided it was circular," Keoko pointed out. "We are walking in circles."

Not about to mention that wasn't what he meant, Eizen looked at Akio, who simply shrugged.

"I'm sure we'll figure this out sometime," Akari said hopefully, though at this point, she was truly wondering if they would.

"Right," Keoko nodded. "No stairs. Akio is searching for a trap door."

Akio grunted, stopping suddenly. "There," he said, pointing.

"Where?" Keoko looked around.

Akari nudged her as soon as she saw it. A piece of ceiling, just slightly moved. "Good eye," she said to Akio, impressed that he had seen this.

"Ohh," Keoko grinned. "I'll need a boost," she frowned at the distance.

Eizen nodded patiently as Akio moved forward. He had been expecting this. "I'm ready when you are."

Keoko stretched, "Let's do this."

Shaking his head, Akio slipped through the opening, hearing Aari behind him. He was sure Eizen and Keoko had it handled between themselves.

Keoko hopped trying to reach the ceiling, but it was impossible. Pouting, she reached up to untangle her scarf from around her neck.

Shaking his head, Eizen kneeled on the ground, tangling his fingers together and looking at her expectedly.

"Ooh," Keoko grinned. "Thanks, Eizen!"

"Anytime," Eizen murmured, looking away as she used his hand as a step. He didn't want to look at places where he shouldn't; even with her wearing pants, he still felt like he should look away.

Getting the boost helped, Keoko grabbed the edge, pulling herself onto the next floor. "Need a hand?" She peeked down at him.

Straightening, Eizen quickly judged the distance then shook his head. "I have it," he said, reaching up and grabbing the edge, swinging himself up.

"Well, I wonder what this floor is like," Keoko pushed herself up, looking around.

Akio shook his head, having been wondering the same thing with Akari. "No idea but we haven't heard anyone else around." He wasn't sure if that was good or not.

"Are we in first place?" Keoko asked excitedly.

Shrugging a shoulder, Akio glanced around again. "No idea. Maybe."

"That would be awesome," Keoko hopped down the hallway.

Akari nodded, eyes bright with excitement. "It would but I'm sure Tsukinose is close."

"And Moto, she was in the lead last I saw," Keoko looked around. "So far Class A has the lead. I haven't seen much of the other classes past level three."

"I haven't either," Akari agreed. She was very proud of her classmates. "We might all make it."

"That would be wonderful," Keoko nodded. "The Pros are watching us especially. Such pressure!"

Akio grunted; the Pros were the last thing he was worried about. His parents were both out there, watching and that knowledge was more nerve wracking than anything else.

"Don't worry," Keoko looked up at him. "You'll do fine."

Startled, Akio looked down at her, drawn from his thoughts. "What?"

"Focus on what's going on in here or you might end up getting caught in a trap," Keoko warned, reaching up to tap his chest.

"I"m focused," Akio said flatly, even as he nodded his acknowledgement of what she was saying. She was right. He needed to do better.

"Good," Keoko nodded. "I wonder if there is a trap in here. It's so quiet."

Eizen had stopped, frowning as he stared into the distance. "We need to stop," he said lowly. "I think Keoko's right."

"What is it?" Keoko whispered, deciding to hid behind Eizen since he was closest.

Somewhat amused by this, Eizen shook his head. "I'm not sure," he said, voice quiet.

"It's so quiet," Keoko looked suspiciously around. "Don't you agree Akari?"

Akari nodded, frowning. This was just strange all the way around. "What should we do? Just keep going and be careful?"

"Akio?" Keoko asked looking around again.

Frowning, Akio slowly nodded. "Go slow, be careful," he decided, seeing no other way around this.

"Alright," Keoko nodded, though she stayed behind Eizen. Just in case.

Giving her an amused little smile, Eizen shook his head, then slowly ventured forward. Why Keoko had decided to follow behind him, instead of Akio, he didn't know. "Foam," he said suddenly, surprised as he pointed to a small pile of it in the corner.

"What does it do?" Keoko looked suspiciously at it.

Akari frowned, studying it as she kept her distance. "I have no idea," she decided after a moment. "But I don't want to find out."

"Alright," Keoko agreed to this, keeping her eyes on the floor.

Agreeing with this, Eizen also kept a careful eye on his surroundings. So far they had been incredibly lucky, but that didn't mean anything.

"Oh, Eizen," Akari said, remembering an idea she had. She had been meaning to mention it to him but had forgotten it until now. "Would you be interested in doing a book club with me and a few others?" She thought it would be great fun.

"I'll think about it," Eizen said after several long moments. Suddenly, something caught his eye and he jerked back, grabbing Keoko by the arm and pulling her several steps away. Foam rained abruptly from the ceiling, barely missing Akio.

"Aah it's raining the foam too?" Keoko squeaked.

Akio groaned softly, looking at it with distaste. "We need to give it a few minutes, see if we can wait this out."

"Or the room will just fill up," Keoko pointed out.

"I don't think it will," Akio murmured, gaze towards the ceiling. He was just guessing here, but he didn't think that would happen. This room had to be clear enough for the others behind them to be able to pass through.

"Alright," Keoko said doubtfully. "But isn't this also a race?"

"It is," Akio agreed absently, frowning slightly as he watched the foam. There was something here, but he wasn't sure what it was. "But if we get it on us, it'll slow us down any more."

"So, we just wait?" Keoko stared up at him.

Barely hearing her, Akio's frown grew as he kept watching. What was he missing? Without warning, it clicked. "I have it," he said, glancing down at her, then Eizen and Akari. "But we have to be fast."

"Alright," Keoko nodded. "If it's really fast you'll have to pick me up, but I can do fast."

"Ever six, seven seconds, the foam falls from another area," Akio explained, motioning with a had taken him several minutes of simply watching it to note the details.

"So we need to speed through?" Keoko asked.

"I think so," Akio murmured, hoping this was right. He didn't see any other option.

"Alright," Keoko nodded. She could agree to this. They just needed to find the pattern of course. This foam stuff was weird.

"Ride?" Akio asked, glancing down at her. It was ridiculous but it was how they worked.

"Yes, please," Keoko beamed.

Sighing, Akio stooped, stooping down considerably then picking her up, tucking her beneath his arm. Ridiculous was right

Keoko made a few noises, like a meowing kitten, before settling down.. "We'll be fast enough now."

Rolling his eyes, he would deny that it was fond, Akio nodded, glancing back at the foam. His other two friends stood on each side. "Alright, let's do this," he said, knowing they had would have to run. Hopefully this worked.

"Go!" Keoko cheered.

Lips twitching, Eizen took off, making it several steps before stilling, waiting for the foam to stop again so he could move. Wondering if his brother had made it yet, he took off again, counting the time. Seven seconds just as Akio had figured.

Keoko sighed as they made it through to the stairs. After Akio placed her back on the ground, she brushed her uniform off. She noticed a thin puddle of the foam with an abandoned shoe attached to it. So someone had been here before them. They needed to hurry up, they had lost too much time.

"Let's go," she smiled, racing up the stairs.

* * *

"Where do you think Fuyuki is?" Sutoi asked after a while of not seeing their other friend. He wasn't sure how much time had already passed but he thought they were making good time.

"I don't know," Hinata pursed her lips. Fuyuki had been worrying her for the past weeks. Ever since that bully had pushed her around for being like her mom, Fuyuki had retreated within herself. She wasn't being her usual fun loving tomboy self. She had gotten so intense. "We should find her quickly."

He wasn't sure what was going on, but Sutoi had to agree with Hinata's urgency. Fuyuki had been acting pretty weird lately, though he didn't know why. "Any ideas how?" he asked seriously. He wanted to get past this round but their friend was more important.

"We have to get to the front," Hinata tested her spray cans. They had been approved for the competition, but she didn't want to use them all up, especially in a test she couldn't use her quirk with successfully. "Fuyuki was aiming for first."

Sutoi nodded with a frown. "Alright," he murmured, wondering just how far they were. He hoped she wasn't being too reckless or anything like that.

"Can you do anything with your Hardlight to get us there faster?" Hinata asked, glancing at him.

At that, Sutoi paused, not sure. "I've never done something with two people before," he said slowly. "But I guess I could try."

"What about skateboards?" Hinata asked. "Can you make skateboards?"

Having no idea, but a part of him wanting to impress her, Sutoi slowed, then stopped, crouching down and concentrating hard. A moment passed, then two, and he wondered if he could really do it or not then suddenly, two skateboards appeared. He stared, eyes wide.

"Aha!" Hinata grinned. "That's awesome! Let's go!" She hopped on one, giving it a test spin before taking off down the hallway.

Finding himself grinning back, Sutoi got on his, then raced after her, hoping this would work and they could quickly find Fuyuki. Surely they could.

A wall suddenly flickered in front of them, digital writing flickered across the wall. Hinata squinted at it. "It's a riddle!" She exclaimed. "What's this here for? How is this related to the games?"

Sutoi frowned, examining it as well. Of all the things...he really didn't like riddles. "Maybe teamwork or something," he suggested, not entirely sure what the purpose was either.

"I think it's silly!" Reine popped up from her seat in the corner. "It's nothing like last year's game! Oh well. I've been trying to solve it for a while now."

Suoti jumped, spinning around and staring. A moment passed, in which he quickly composed himself, then he grinned. "Well, maybe between the three of us we can."

"I was hoping so!" Reine clapped her hands together. "Alright, I'll read it aloud. You can swallow me, but I can consume you too. What am I? Hmm this is really hard!"

Wishing Tsukinose was there, even though she honestly frightened him, Suoti frowned, reading the words again but this time silently and to himself. "Food, air, anger," he murmured, trying to figure out what could be swallowed.

"Maybe it's talking about big wild animals," Hinata joined in. "We can eat them, but they could eat us."

Thinking that made more sense than anything Sutoi had come up with himself, he nodded, then frowned. "Would it be such a broad answer?"

"Maybe it has to do with being a Hero," Reine said thoughtfully. "Ooh look the ceiling sparkles from the light!"

"Focus, Reine," Sutoi said patiently, mentally jumping on her first sentence. That would be just like something they would do. What was associated with being a hero?

"Oh you're right it does," Hinata looked up at the ceiling. "Kind of like light reflecting on water."

Shaking his head, Sutoi focused his attention to the riddle, tuning the girls out. Heroes...heroes are sacrificing, brave, kind, but none of those words fit, not in the way they needed to. He frowned again, repeating the riddle to himself again. He was missing something obvious here.

"Is it fame?" Hinata refocused. "If this has to do with being a Hero then that makes sense. You can let being famous swallow you up. We've seen that with some of the Profit Heroes."

At that, Sutoi made a face. "I don't understand those," he said, not sure why anyone would be want to be a hero just for the fame.

"Neither do I," Hinata sighed. "Not really anyways…"

"But I guess that's not it," Sutoi said with a frown. He had thought it was very likely but so far nothing had happened.

"This is hard!" Reine tugged at her hair. "What does this even have to do with being a hero?"

Having no answer, Sutoi shrugged, his frown deepening. Fame...he felt like they were on the right track there. What went with fame? "Pride," he gasped. "It's pride."

"Pride?" Both girls said at the same time, staring at him.

Sutoi nodded quickly, growing more certain of it. "It has to be," he said with a growing grin. "They talk about heroes not being too prideful all the time it feels like."

"Let's try it," Hinata nodded. She walked up to the wall, typing the answer into the provided keypad. Something clicked and the wall and it flickered before disappearing. "Well, that was rather quick," Hinata nodded. "Good job Sutoi!"

Surprised, Sutoi stared then his grin quickly appeared again. He loved it when his ideas actually panned out. "Teamwork," he said, then nodded at Reine. "Coming with us?"

"Of course I am!" Reine smiled brightly. "You guys are awesome!"

Well, he certainly couldn't disagree there. Shrugging, Sutoi quickly formed her a skateboard as well. So far it hadn't been a struggle to keep his and Hinata's going so he didn't think it would be too big of a challenge to make one for Reine as well.

"Fun!" Reine squealed. "This is amazing! I'm glad we are friends! Class A for the win!"

Grinning again, Sutoi got back on his. "Trying," he agreed, wondering how the others were doing.

* * *

"Why does it feel like Tsukinose is doing all the hard work?" Genjiro balanced on the rope as they walked across. "I feel like I should be doing something supportive besides cheering on."

"I have it under control," Kaori murmured, focusing on each careful step as she slowly and carefully lead them across the rope.

"I hope so," Rin inched along the rope. "This is seriously difficult. I hope the others are alright."

"We're the second team that's crossed this," Kaori said dismissively. She was enjoying this as she found it to be a challenge.

"Oh well that's good to know," Rin nodded, swinging his body out and catching the next rope.

Anamiya was certain he had never experienced anything as bad as this in all his time here. "Do you think we're almost done?" he asked, though he wasn't sure who exactly he was addressing this question to.

"Surely," Rin heaved a sigh.

"We are," Kaori said, then suddenly reached out and grabbed Rin's arm. "Watch it,' she warned. He had been about to fall and they didn't have time for mishaps like this.

"Thanks," Rin smiled at her, readjusting his grip.

Rolling her eyes, Kaori dropped her hand. "It would have just been an inconvenience to the rest of us," she muttered, trying to keep from returning his smile. She ended up failing.

"Wow you'll make a good leader in the Hero world," Genjiro said brightly. "Always looking out for your subordinates."

"Hey, who said we are subordinates?" Rin asked.

"I am not a leader," Kaori said, stressing the word 'not.' That was the last thing she wanted.

Anamiya glanced at her sideways. He thought she was, but he wasn't about to argue with her.

"Right, you're too bossy," Rin said after a moment.

At that, Kaori rolled her eyes again. "I wouldn't be if you listened to me more," she countered. That would solve so many problems.

"Of course, mother." Rin and Genjiro said in unison nodding their heads obediently.

Frowning as Anamiya choked on a laugh, Kaori stared pointedly ahead. "Why do I even bother with you?"

"Because we are friends," Rin pointed out proudly.

Kaori frowned again. "No, we're not," she said. She only considered Rin her friend.

"But I thought you said we were friends," Rin said, looking crestfallen.

"I said we were," Kaori muttered, jumping across to another rope. "But I didn't anything about the other two."

"Well they are my friends so in turn your friends," Rin stated.

She didn't see the logic in this, but Kaori decided this argument would be pointless. "Watch your step," she warned, not even having to see what was going on to know Rin was about to fall again.

"I'm watching," Rin sighed heavily.

Anamiya glanced at Genjiro then shrugged. Kaori and Rin definitely had an interesting dynamic. He wasn't sure if it made a whole lot of sense.

"We are close to the end I think," Rin panted as they stepped out onto a platform. "I think I counted ten levels."

"You did," Kaori said promptly. "We have one more." She had been keeping count as they passed each level.

"I wonder what the next level is," Genjiro glanced at the stairs.

"It has to be better," Anamiya murmured, wondering why, again, he was here. He really didn't like this.

"At this rate probably not," Rin shook his head.

"I doubt it will," Kaori said, not wanting them to have false hope. That was pointless.

"I thought so," Genjiro sighed heavily.

Anamiya groaned softly. This was getting worse by the moment. "At least we're almost done here," he said, trying to look on the bright side.

"Yes," Rin nodded. "We have to win this so we can advance to the next round. We wouldn't want our class to look bad."

"Class A will get through this," Kaori said firmly. She wouldn't let any of them not make it in the next round.

"That's the spirit!" Genjiro cheered. "Three cheers for Class A!"

Kaori sighed at that but didn't say anything as they reached the very top. She took a moment, looking around and trying to quickly figure out where to go now. "There," she said after a moment. "We need to go that way."

Rin nodded, turning down the hall. They sped up as the ascended the stairs. Final level. This was like a video game with a final boss, right?

Kaori stopped suddenly as she reached that final step, the sight before her drawing a sigh from her lips. "Company," she murmured, stepping back so the boys could see what she was.

"Class B," Genjiro said quietly, then wondered why he was whispering. His foot snagged on the last stair and he lost his balance, falling flat on the ground.

"I guess you won't need your quirk, Ikeda," Youta said flatly, staring down at the fallen Class A student. He glanced over at the dual-haired girl standing at the back of the group.

His eyes widening, Anamiya quickly reached down, helping Genjiro back to his feet. He didn't want a fight.

"Look, it's Moto," Rin pointed ahead. A narrow hallway was full of smoke, preventing the Class B students from entering.

Genjiro smiled sheepishly. "Sorry about that, I guess I got distracted. Hi guys, what's going on up here?"

Eiko Suzuki, not looking impressed, crossed his arms, glowering across the room at them. He wasn't in the mood to deal with any of them. He wanted to win.

"Sorry, we aren't letting Class A through. Well except her," Narruk glared at the smoke screen. "Class A's had all the attention and is revered as some higher class. It's been this way for years. This year we'll show the world that Class B is superior."

"You're not,"Kaori said flatly, glancing at each of the other students. "Especially after this immature stunt." Did they really think this would help their case?

"Class B is going to win!" Nana Yagami pumped her fist.

"Unlikely," Kaori said, gaze narrowing in on the girl who had spoken, eyes cool.

Anamiya glanced desperately at Rin, silently pleading for him to do something. She was doing to provoke them.

"Look this is a race too," Rin held his hands out peacefully. "It isn't sportsmen like to prevent other competitors from finishing. You reach the end because of aptitude and strategy. You can't wait for those less skilled to.."

"Talking down to us?" Narruk growled, baring his teeth. "It's all equal here, we aren't your subordinates."

"Enough," Kaori said, boredom creeping into her expression. It was a race. They were wasting time with this.

"Ikeda," Narruk backed up, closing his eyes.

Masami stepped forward, her ponytail swishing behind her. Both eyes, one green one blue, crossed suddenly.

"Well if this is a race you better run," Youta sighed.

Rin stepped back, glancing at Kaori. Judging from the others they best now keep their eyes open...what was this? The ground seemed to bubble under his feet and he staggered. The walls twisted and jerked back into place before spinning out of control again. A headache already started to form in the back of his head. "What the hell?" he staggered, nearly falling down the stairs.

Having been expecting something like this, she had done her research after all, Kaori managed to keep herself from making eye contact with the girl but she hadn't had the time to warn the other three. "Don't meet her eyes again," she warned, annoyance creeping into her expression as she narrowed in on Nana. She would take care of that one if the need arose.

"I can't meet anything," Genjiro staggered, feeling as if he might lose his stomach. "Let alone eyes."

"Get it together you three," Kaori snapped, wondering how Anamiya was even effected. He barely eye-contact to begin with.

"Yeah, tell me after the world stops spinning," Rin dropped to his knees, the ceiling following him at an alarming rate.

Rolling her eyes, Kaori turned her attention back to the class B students. "I'm giving you the option to leave," she said with a sigh. This was childish.

"Really," Youta sighed. "How very hero like of you. An ultimatum. Count me out, I don't even know why I'm here in the first place. This whole thing is lame."

"You're with the group that decided to do this," Kaori pointed out, glaring at the girl. They were wasting time.

"You think I had a choice? I'm just wanting to get out of this freak fest. Seriously, this has nothing to do with being a hero. It's just showing off and shit like that. What happened to society?" Youta waved at them, walking away.

Having figured this would happen, Kaori looked at each of the others, tapping her foot lightly. One...two...three...four...

Narruk grinned, "I was hoping to save this for the next test but now is just fine." He stepped forward, shifting into his wolf form.

"Idiot," Kaori murmured, though she had to admit she was impressed by his new form. She hadn't seen it in person until now.

"Don't look down on us," Narruk growled, springing towards her.

"Am I?" Kaori asked, not refusing to give up ground even as he advanced. A coy smile had found her lips by this point.

"Fight us like equals!" Narruk ran towards her.

Kaori, pressing her lips together in a tight line, suddenly lept into the air, flipping over her opponent then kneeing between his hairy shoulder blades. She landed gracefully back onto the ground, watching as he stumbled. Having not been able to bring her belt, or her daggers, she had done intensive research to find other options she might relay on if the need arose. Fighting like this wasn't her preferred type of combat, but one could never be careful enough. She spun around on her heel, black ponytail slicing through the air, then reached up, knowing that if she was fast, she would be able to disarm him in a minute.

Her eyes widening, Akari stopped suddenly as her and the others came upon Tsukinose and the others….and what appeared to be some of class B's students. "Um...should we help her?" she asked softly, not sure if she had it under control or not. What were going on with the boys?

"I have it," Kaori called, jumping out of the way as her opponent took a swipe at her, teeth snapping. He didn't know when he was beaten. He would understand shortly.

Akio sighed, tearing at his thumbnail for a moment. He wasn't sure about that but he knew better than to get in her way. He pulled himself up to his full height, staring at the other class B students. They knew better than this.

"Well," Sutoi said, slowing his skateboard down as he took in the events unfolding. "Looks like we got here in the nick of time." They had been following Fuyuki's smoke; they had been expecting to finally find her, not this...whatever this was.

"Fuyuki!" Hinata started forward, hesitating as she looked around. How was she going to get past these students? They didn't look friendly.

Grimacing as Kaori delivered another blow to the other student, it appeared to be on a pressure point, Akio glanced over, finding three of his other classmates. If the Class B students wanted a fight, they were outmatched, but he really didn't want to tangle with them.

"Pull back," Masami Ikeda said, releasing her hold on the students. "It's pointless, they have the upper hand. Let's make a break for the finish line."

Eiko Suzuki growled, then turned. "We'll have a rematch sometimes, class A," he warned over his shoulder.

Panting slightly, Kaori pulled back. "Had enough?" she asked, taking a moment then composing herself. Even though she had weighed the risks of engaging with him, she knew it had been the best choice.

"This is a strategic retreat," Masami Ikeda dipped her head. "You have been a worthy opponent. I respect your research on us. I hope to see you in the next rounds." She turned, leading the others towards the smoke.

Kaori's lips twitched in what might have been a smile, then straightening, she turned to her group, expression now one of pure disinterest. "We need to go."

"Yeah," Rin wobbled to his feet. "Is her quirk still working or is the room spinning around all on it's own?"

"Latter," Kaori said with a sigh, watching Anamiya haul himself to his feet, black hair shielding his face; she knew without seeing that his expression was like RIn and Genjiro's.

"That's good to know," Rin nodded. "I think I need another cigarette after this."

"Smoking makes you smell," Kaori said, disapproval clear as she glances around. "Glad to see everyone," it was a good strategic move, "But we need to go. We're wasting time."

"Right, we can't let them get ahead," Genjiro staggered forward.

"Are you coming?" Kaori directed this at the other two groups, knowing they really couldn't waste more time figuring things out. "Moto is close," she said, aware that was why one of them was there. Sentiment was ridiculous.

"Yeah, let's go Sutoi," Hinata said, pushing past on her skateboard.

Shaking his head, Suoti got back on his own transportation. "Hopefully Fuyuki is still close," he murmured, trying not to worry. This wasn't right. He should be enjoying himself, not worried about one of his classmates, but he supposed this was what friendship was all about.

"She is, her smoke is pretty thick," Hinata waved at the air.

"Then this should be easy," Sutoi said helpfully, skating ahead. He coughed slightly, finding her smoke got increasingly thick.

"Ugh," Hinata slipped off her outer shirt, wrapping it around her face. "Fuyuki it's us!"

"Fuyuki," Sutoi called, trying to take as shallow breaths as he could.

"Sutoi, Hinata," Fuyuki emerged from the smoke, the cloud around them lessening and pulling back to the gray skinned girl. "What are you doing here? I thought your were two levels down."

Sutoi grinned, adjusting his taloned feet slightly for a better grip on the board. "We're fast," he said, then nodded behind him. "We have a bunch of the others too. Reine's here, somewhere, too."

"Right here!" Reine popped up. "The smoke was really thick and my eyes were burning but I skated down here and oh dear those meenies from Class B probably passed us! Fuyuki, we were looking for you! Sutoi made this fantastic skateboard! Oh no your arms look burned, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I've just used my quirk a lot so my skin is getting irritated," Fuyuki shrugged it off.

Without a word, Akio stepped forward and handed her damp clothes that she could wrap around her arms, preventing them from getting worse and helping relieve some of the sting that he knew she had to be experiencing.

Fuyuki looked up surprised, "Uh...thanks."

Nodding grimly, Akio stepped back, crossing his arms again. He hoped that would help; those had to hurt.

"What do we do now?" Akari asked, glancing around. They had a large part of their class here and she wondered how the others were faring.

"Class B got ahead of me," Fuyuki scowled at the ground.

Sutoi frowned, looking at her resigned look. "Why aren't you going after them?"

"I don't know," Fuyuki touched her arms lightly.

At that, Sutoi stepped forward, eyes worried. He didn't really understand what was driving Fuyuki to prove herself so much but he would support his friend. "Don't give in now," he urged. "You're almost there."

"Yeah, don't give up," Hinata stepped up to Fuyuki's other side. "We know you can do it, you can prove yourself to the world."

At that, Sutoi nodded quickly, seeing where Hinata was going. "You can do it. You just have to try."

Fuyuki nodded slowly, a smile tugging at her lips. Her friends would believe in her no matter what. "Thanks guys. Let's do this."

"Let's," Sutoi said with a grin, then nodded. "Come on, let's go." He didn't want to lose any more time on the other class.

"Let's," Hinata held her hand out to Fuyuki letting her hop on. "Sutoi let's find a way to keep the others behind us." She didn't really trust Tsukinose.

Sutoi hesitated for a moment. He didn't like not including the others. "Well, alright," he agreed, then nodded at Reine. "Come on. We'll figure this out."

Reine nodded. "I don't think the others intend to let us get the lead!" she whispered, not too quietly. "My elevation is off, you guys have any cool tricks up your sleeves?" She glanced at her birthmark woefully. "I guess this is where I need to train. Controlling my situation even if the odds are against me! Oh guys this level looks really hard."

Frowning, Sutoi thought for a moment, not entirely sure what kind of options they had. He didn't know if he could make something that was faster than their skateboards. "I guess we just go and hope for the best," he said.

"Can you make a wall?" Fuyuki asked. "With your quirk?"

Sutoi bit his lip. "I could try," he said finally. He had never tried something like that before.

"I could make a smoke screen, but it'll be easier if there is a barrier to stop them physically," Fuyuki explained.

"Alright, I'll try," Sutoi said, straightening slightly. He could and he would; the girls were counting on him to figure this out. He glanced briefly at the others, wondering why they hadn't left. What were they waiting on?

"Why are we waiting?" Rin glanced at Kaori. Was she actually giving them a head start? She really did have a heart.

Kaori, lips pressed together in a tight frown, didn't look at him. "We're being watched," she said finally. "It would look good if we did this."

Rin sighed, of course she was doing it for the cameras. "I see," he shook his head.

"I'm definitely not sentimental but Fukumi Moto, back when she was a Kiato, was a classmate of my uncle here," Karoi said after a moment "She helped him once. I'm simply returning the favor as it fits into my end goal rather nicely."

"Well at least there's that," Rin shrugged, sharing a knowing look with the other two.

Anamiya grinned, then ducked his head, not anting Kaori to see him. She still scared him.

Refusing to look at any of them, Kaori crossed her arms. "Strategically, it was a good move," she muttered even though she knew she didn't have to defend herself.

"Oh yes," Rin nodded. "Of course."

"Stop that," Kaori said, frown turning into a scowl as she dropped her arms. He didn't have to believe her but he was being ridiculous.

"What?" Rin looked pleased with himself.

Rolling her eyes, Kaori didn't say anything, simply waited. She could be surprisingly patient when she wanted to be...and when she had something to occupy her mind, which she did now. Once they got through this, there would be two more challenges and she knew that if she thought long enough on them, she would be able to get an idea about what they would face on them. She would let Moto have this one, but she was determined to win the whole thing. However, she was very aware that she would end up having some tough competition.

* * *

Fuyuki strained, the water had helped, but her burns were stinging. She made a face as the path changed in front of them again. These shifting walls were no joke. She had no clue which way they were going anymore. How were they supposed to get out? She hoped the other students were just as confused as she was.

"What the hell?" Sutoi asked, gasping as one of the walls moved. This was making him dizzy. He had no idea what to do.

"Well, let's go this way, I think it's up," Hinata blinked twice.

He had no idea but it sounded good. "After you," Sutoi groaned. This was insane; he had thought the foam was bad.

"Yeah," Hinata took out her paint can, spraying a small spritz. "Let's do this to keep from walking in circles."

Even with the way his head was spinning, Sutoi found himself grinning. She was smart and pretty; as soon as the thought crossed his mind, he quickly banished it. He wasn't about to go there. "Good idea," he said, clearing his throat. "I feel like we might be."

"Exactly, which is why I'll use some of my paint," Hinata nodded.

Wondering how the others were doing, Sutoi nodded back. He didn't have anything that could help. "That'll go a long way."

"Yep," Hinata grinned. "Let's go gang!"

Her enthusiasm catching, Sutoi grinned, then fell into step behind would figure a way out of here.

"Let's," Fuyuki agreed.

They were walking in circles, Akio was certain of it, but they didn't have anything to prevent that. Exhaling softly, he glanced down at Keoko, who was looking somewhat green. He couldn't blame her. The walls were shifting nonstop, distorting both their sense of balance and understanding of their surroundings. He wondered how well the others were doing; he hadn't seen anyone lately besides Rokuro Saito and his group in passing. That had been unexpected, he hadn't thought Crook would associate himself with any of them least of all Rokuro and Hanko but somehow it worked. "We need some sort of plan," he said finally.

Eizen nodded, focusing on his feet. Akio was right, though he had no idea what they could do to help themselves in this situation.

"I don't even know how long we've been walking," Akari murmured. It had felt like forever but she knew it couldn't be. She was missing the foam.

"Akio we need something," Keoko groaned. "I'm so dizzy, and I can't manipulate these walls, and it's the last stage and I think I'll lose points if I throw up in the middle of the end of the competition."

Akio grimaced. He really didn't want to be puked on because if Keoko threw up, he knew it would so just happen to be on him; it always was. "Just keep going straight," he urged, though he didn't have much more to offer than that.

"There has to be a way out, is there a pattern or something?" Keoko sagged.

Eizen reached out, instantly grabbing a hold of her arm to keep her from falling. That was the last thing they needed.

Akio grimaced again, then stopped, taking a moment to examine the walls and their surroundings as best as he could.

Keoko hung onto Eizen's arm, leaning her face against it to block out the shifting walls. This was horrible.

"Wait," Akari gasped after a moment. How had they not noticed until now? "The wall colors are darker one way than they are the other way."

"But all walls have two sides," Keoko groaned against Eizen's shoulder.

"No, no," Akari said, quickly spinning then realizing that had been a mistake when she got dizzier. "Look. It's like that on both sides. I think the closer we get to the exit, the lighter the colors are."

"You look, I'll stay here," Keoko murmured, face pressed against Eizen.

Taking note of the light flush Eizen now had, Akari shook her head, then realized again she had made a mistake. She kept doing that. "Alright, hang on," she said, wanting to get her balance before venturing forward. It took a moment but once sure, she moved forward.

Akio watched Akari for a moment, then turned away. He was getting dizzier just by watching her. He hoped she knew what she was doing.

"There!" A moment later, Akari cried out the word in victory. She had been right. Turning back to the others, she grabbed Eizen with one hand and Akio with the other, dragging them forward.

Keoko looked up as they stepped up into the dazzling brightness of the arena. Blinking she rubbed her eyes, all nausea gone thankfully. The crowds were cheering and above the roar Present Mic's voice screaming over the airwaves.

"Looks like another group, comprised of our very own Class A comes in Fourth for groups and numbers 14, 15, 16, and 17!"

She looked around for Fuyuki Moto, wondering if she had done it. She found the girl standing with hands on her knees, her gray arms an unnatural red. She was breathing heavy but smiling in a way Keoko had never seen before. Keoko smiled.

"Hey guys, she did it."

* * *

 **Well here it is...We hope it isn't too confusing we really wanted to focus on the people rather than the test in this one...plus I (Alumni) kept falling asleep so there's that. You've probably noticed there are about three groups we focus on, and those are the ones who will experience the most character growth out of this. Don't worry though, the next chapter we will focus on quirks! *rubs hands together***

 **Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Hope the next isn't so long in the making...**


	21. Chapter 19

_Reviews with Alumni and Loki:_

 _gold crown dragon ~ We actually don't know what to do with that situation, so if you have pointers on his love interest(s) do enlighten us on which you would like to see. We'll see some parents next chapter actually along with the 1 on 1 fights!_

 _Attackin ~ They are holding their own! Glad you liked the chapter!_

 _Supreme Kai of Booty ~ Aw, hope everything is going better! Praise the Booty indeed. Haha...yikes which one of us is doing that? *blames each other for the reinvented name* He's growing up so fast!_

 _61394 ~ That is great to know...precious babies...Well I hope you like this chapter! Kaede is awesome._

 _ChillyIce ~ Glad you liked it! Yes she has!_

 _Starblitz1312 ~ Fuyuki is working so hard. Glad you like all the character interaction! We have some more this chapter...even though we tried to focus on quirks._

 _Artesys ~ Good ole rivalry! Sumire pops in via unintentional request, if we seem to be forgetting a character just mention it and we will do our best to include them!_

 _LifeisBeautiful17 ~ They are doing so well! Genjiro is precious._

* * *

 **CAPTURE THE FLAG**

"What, that's still a thing? Didn't we play that in Elementary School? Well it could be better than last year's relay races."

Whispers breathed through the four classes represented in the middle of the arena. Class A, Class B, Support Class, and General Studies filled only a tiny portion of the grassy lawn, though the first of these had the upper hand. Class B had a strong standing though.

 **1) Moto, Fuyuki**

 **2) Rakugaki, Hinata**

 **3) Daitenshi, Sutoi**

 **4) Marseille, Reine**  
 **5) Tsukinose, Kaori**

 **6) Yun, Anamiya**

 **7) Nakamaru, Rin**

 **8) Katou, Genjiro**  
 **9) Ikeda, Masami**

 **10) Mondronen, Narruk**

 **11) Oreki, Youta**

 **12) Yagami, Nana**

 **13) Suzuki, Eiko**

 **14) Seishin, Akari**

 **15) Saito, Eizen**

 **16) Shimizu, Keoko**

 **17) Saito, Akio**

 **18) Raiji, Hikari**

 **19) Rushaindo, Yajima**

 **20) Ikeda, Yukiko**

 **21) Kinoshita, Hanami**

 **22) Yamamoto, Akiyo**

 **23) Fukushima, Kana**

 **24) Aokuma, Kamin**

 **25) Chikanda, Sumire**

 **26) Minami, Shuiro**

 **27) Kōmori, Kaede**

 **28) Crook, Liam**

 **29) Saito, Rokuro**

 **30) Hanko, Haruto**

 **31) Dorado, Jakuna**

 **32) Goya, Makida**

 **33) Ashikaga, Roichi**

 **34) Dotani, Miwa**

 **35) Asahina, Chimon**

 **36) Kiodai, Yuki**

 **37) Toujo, Akira**

 **38) Oben, Kamemaru**

 **39) Ito, Aina**

 **40) Ryu, Jaygun**

"You are allowed to divide into teams of four and take your spot at one of the ten stations provided to you," Midnight's voice rang clean and crips through the speakers. "Divide into teams now!"

"We're together," Akari said, seeing no other option. She wouldn't want to go into this without the others that were quickly becoming her best friends.

"Right!" Keoko cheered. "If I touch one of the flags, they'll come running to us! Akari can trick the others into seeing different flags and Akio can protect you Akari, while Eizen helps me."

Akio nodded slowly as she spoke. Her plan seemed to fairly sound and he thought it would go better for them than the Abyss had. "Alright," he said finally, gaining Eizen's own nod of approval. He wasn't worried; they were all more than capable to pass this round.

"Each student is assigned a point system from the place they finished the Abyss in, those scores are combined into one final team score! The student who finished in first place receives One Million Points! This is all of the following points summed up together"

Fuyuki froze, "One...million...points?" She forgot about Nakamaru healing her arms, wondering if she had heard right.

Sutoi stared up at the Pro-Hero, distracted from his subtle admiration of her curves. "One million," he murmured, trying to wrap his mind around that.

"Eek, which means," Hinata glanced at Fuyuki. "We have the win and a big target painted on our team!"

"We'll be fine," Sutoi said with a grin. He wasn't worried. This actually sounded like a lot of fun.

Her eyes wide, Akari had gotten distracted from the conversation around her. She still couldn't believe there was so many Pro-Heroes around and she didn't even want to think about the ones watching; it was likely Deku or Creati, or maybe even both were but she tried not to think about that. She knew she would trip up if she let her mind linger on the fact her idols were out there somewhere.

"Didn't your brother play in something like this when he was here?" Keoko looked up at Akio. "This point system seems familiar."

Akio nodded after a moment. How Keoko remembered that better than he did, he had no idea. "I think it's the same principle." The longer he thought about it, the more certain that at least another sibling had this as well.

"But Capture the Flag," Keoko looked thoughtful. "It seems simple enough."

"Nothing is ever that simple though," Eizen murmured. It couldn't be as easy as it looked; this was supposed to challenge them in some sort of way.

"Anyways it will be easier to use our quirks I think," Keoko said. "Let's find a section to use."

Absently, Eizen nodded his agreement, glancing around as she spoke. Where was Rokuro? He knew his brother had made it to this round, but he didn't see him anywhere in the crowd. That was probably well.

* * *

"This is Sayako Shioto with The Sukio Broadcasting Network, bringing you live coverage of today's events here at U.A. High Sports Festival! As we approach the second of the events you can see the students forming strategic teams all around the arena. In the last event, titled the Abyss, Class A student, Fuyuki Moto came in first place, followed quickly by another Class A student, Liam Crook. A surprising outcome considering…"

He had known this would happen, sooner or later. They couldn't just leave things well enough alone, could they? Of course not. They were always watching, always expecting the worst from him. They didn't see the brother of a hero, but the son of two villians. None of this was right. They were waiting for him to fail, of course they were. Well, he wouldn't let that happen. He wasn't going to let them win. His decision already made, Liam took several steps backwards, disappearing a quickly as he could into the fading shadows. Leaving now was his only option.

"Hey! Where the hell are you going? We are trying to form a team!" Rokuro yelled. "Come back here you little chicken-hearted shadow and fight!"

Frowning as he realized that they were now one student short and exactly who it was that had disappeared, Aizawa debated for a moment then pulled out his phone with a sigh. He hit a button, holding it against his ear. "I don't think we'll get him back, he said as soon as Kito had answered. "It's Liam Crook and we both know how he is." Liam Crook was a student that was equally as stubborn as he was as suspicious and even with the mandatory sessions with Mura, he didn't seem to be willing to change in his ways. The only good thing was that they still had a couple years to work with him before he became a Pro.

"Yeah, he's gone," Kito looked down from his spot in the stands. "Probably halfway to America by now."

Aizawa rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Figured," he murmured; he knew Kito was joking, but there was a solid truth to it "I'm surprised he lasted as long as he did."

"Looks like he caught sight of the media and hit the road," Kito looked around. "Speaking of hitting the road, I have to go. Marseille's parents are here."

Grunting something that might have been 'good luck' Aizawa hung up, turning his attention back to his students. At this point in time, it could go in any direction, though he was keeping an eye on Kaori Tsukinose though he was aware that his sidekick, who was sitting beside him for the moment, was rooting for his brother. He shook his head. They would just have to see.

* * *

"Kaori you can't leave us, what will we do without you, you yourself said we would die without you so how can you walk away now of all times?"

Rin clung to Kaori's leg as she started off, having flung himself down in an attempt to hold her back. Why was she ditching the best squad in class to go join the smart girls? Alright once it was put that way, there was an obvious explanation. But didn't she have a sense of loyalty? They were friends after all.

Kaori wasn't sure if she thought this was amusing or stupid. Perhaps a mixture of both, but she wouldn't let him know about anything but the latter. "Of course you would die without me," she said, rolling her eyes. "That's my point. You have to learn how to do things on your own."

"Already cutting the apron strings," Genjiro shook his head sadly. "Throwing us out of the nest. Look at us we haven't even sprouted wings yet," he held his arms out pitifully.

"We need you." Rin held onto her leg, remaining oblivious to the fact she could use her quirk at any time to escape. "You can't just leave us alone."

A part of Anamiya was feeling the same way as his other two friends, but another part of him was understanding Kaori's point. She wouldn't always be there to haul them out of trouble, rather they wanted to admit it or not.

Kaori sighed. "Rin," she said flatly. "Let me go. All of you will probably be just fine." She wasn't sure why they depended on her so much but actually, she did. She knew exactly what she was doing, more than anyone else, though there were a few that came close.

"Probably?" Rin clung tighter. "Why do you have so little faith in us? We are a great team and you're leaving us for them?"

Kaori rolled her eyes again. Rin was persistent beyond belief she would give him that. "I'll be back before you know it."

"Just in time for the one-on-one battles," Rin whined. "This is our last chance to be a team."

"And you'll survive," Kaori said with a sigh. She was this close to using her quirk on him. It was about time.

"But you are my friend," Rin tried his last card. It wasn't just her leaving them, it was the idea of her working against them that was terrifying.

"I'm aware of that," Kaori said, wondering why he thought that line, built around emotion, would work on her. She never had much use for emotions and they both knew it.

"So you'll stay?" Rin looked up at her.

"No, I'm still going," Kaori said, eyebrows furrowed slightly as she looked down at him. "But I think you'll be fine." If they all banded together, she was certain they would be able to come up with something.

"More than probably?" Rin looked suspicious.

"Of course," Kaori said evenly as if this was a fact. "If it makes you feel better, I won't be targeting you three." She had every intention to see Rin one-on-one and she couldn't do that if they were eliminated. "Masami would be a good pick," she suggested. She wasn't even somewhat on her level but the other girl was smart.

"We could never replace you," Rin released her leg, pushing himself back to his feet. "But, I guess we could give it a shot."

"Of course not," Kaori agreed. She knew her value. "But Masami would be a good choice." She would be smart enough to give them a fighting chance but would also make them actually figure some things out for themselves.

"We can pick our own team members," Genjiro grinned. "Don't worry we have this all under control."

Anamiya wasn't certain of that, but he didn't mention this. He was getting a little uneasy and it was taking everything to keep his nerves settled. This was fine, everything was fine.

"I'm not worried," Kaori corrected, giving him a long look. She didn't have to look out for them so why would she be concerned? They could take care of themselves. "Good luck. I'll see you when this is over."

"Alright," Rin nodded as soon as she left. "Let's go find Masami Ikeda."

* * *

"We want you and Haruto to join us."

"What I heard you were spilling a lot of bullshit about Class B proving themselves superior," Rokuro crossed his arms. "Why would we want to team up with you?" he asked, still irritated that Crook had decided to bolt and Kaede had been convinced to join a girl's team.

"You two have already proven you don't have any of those uppity feelings," Narruk crossed his arms. "Plus both of you are good fighters. It's obvious this will be won by sheer strength and speed alone."

"And the power of friendship!" Kamin Aokuma cheered raising a furry blue paw.

"We'll kill the other teams," Narruk said darkly. "And win first place."

"Kindly," Kamin waved her paws.

"And we want to make an alliance with the two most honest Class A students," Narruk growled. "And the strongest."

"Teamwork!" Kamin threw her arms to the side presenting Narruk.

"I'm up for a good fight anytime," Haruto grinned. "Especially with you, but I guess we can team up," he glanced at Rokuro.

"Alright," Rokuro stuck out his hand. All brawn, no brains. Well that wasn't going to win them this fight, not with Tsukinose staring them down across the field. They would need more than the single brain cell bouncing around the three in front of him. If he learned anything from the old man, it was that brawn and brains had to work hand in hand. If he was lucky, maybe the girl had something up her sleeve.

"Yay," Kamin smiled. "Now we can totally take the other team's flags and win for sure!"

"I'm so glad you asked me to be part of your team, it's very well put together," Kaede smiled.

"Ah you know," Kana Fukushima grinned. "I like to think on these things every once in a while. It took a little convincing to get Nana on board, but both you and Aina were great with the idea."

Aina watched, her arms crossed. She wasn't sure if she was 'great' per say with the idea, but it was the best one they had.

"With mine and Nana's speed we should be able to get the flags," Kana explained. "You and Aina are great support and defense."

"We aren't friends," Nana Yagami rolled her eyes. "Just call me Yagami like everyone else."

"See hard time," Kana whispered.

Kaede laughed a little. "I'm used to it."

"Oh yeah, you hang with that Rokuro dude," Kana grinned. "You'll fit right in then."

Rokuro Saito. His name brought Aina back to their spar; he had been a fair opponent. "Are we ready?" Aina asked, tapping her foot. "I believe we need to be if we aren't."

"Yeah we are ready," Kana nodded. "Alright team, let's go!"

* * *

"I'm taking control here," Masami Ikeda decided. "But I'll need your help," she tapped her fingers together. "Earlier I was trying to test your strengths out. We all know the first tests are the easiest and you have to know those around you to team up." The wind tossed her black and white hair. "I really don't like Mondronen. Everything isn't about who is best or strongest. So let's team up and win this round."

"She's so nice she asked for our help, Tsukinose never does that," Genjiro glanced at the others. "Let's team up!"

Anamiya nodded, shuffling his feet slightly. He would miss have Kaori on their team, despite what she said, she was their friend, but he thought Masami Ikeda would help. She seemed rather nice, which was surprising but not unwelcome. He chewed on his lower lip, trying to relax.

"Genjiro and Anamiya could gather more flags," Rin said thoughtfully. "While Ikeda and I stay here. Ikeda can hit them with their quirk and while they are dizzy I can put them to sleep. Overall lessing the number of opponents on the field."

Nodding again, Anamiya clenched his hands into fists, then relaxed them slowly. He was fine, everything was fine.

"They'll be focused on Katou," Masami explained. "You haven't shown your quirk once during the first trial, they won't count you as a threat, especially since there have been rumors going around that your quirk isn't that harmful. You'll grab the flag while Genjiro does the hard work."

Anamiya glanced at Rin as Masami spoke, trying to focus on the plan she was making and not his increasingly unease. What she said seemed pretty reasonable.

"Let's do this," Rin nodded.

They got into their positions as Midnight raised her whip, preparing to being the event. Rin grinned eagerly at the others. This was going to be spectacular.

* * *

"Moto, you're with us," Hanami said, motioning to the other girl to join her and the others as soon as she spotted her. She had no idea how her and Hikari had ended up with Kaori Tsukinose but there they were, waiting until the final moments ticked by and they could start this thing. Tsukinose had approached with no explanation as why she wanted to join them. Hanami didn't mind; she freely admitted to her own intelligence and knew that Hikari and Tsukinose were both extremely smart, the latter being almost frighteningly so.

Her eyes quick, Kaori was watching the others, paying little attention to their new team member. She was watching the others, calculating their strengths and weaknesses, comparing what she knew to what she was learning of them now. She eliminated several quickly, knowing they wouldn't make it but certain ones made her gaze linger on them for more than a few seconds. She needed to be aware of who her competition was when it mattered, which it would sooner than later. One student in particular caught her attention and she frowned slightly. He might well be the one she needed to watch out for.

At first, Hikari had been pretty unsure of herself but after the first round, where she found her footing, she had also found some more confidence. She wasn't nearly as worried about any of this as she had been and she knew with Hanami, who had somehow quickly became a close friend, this round would be conquered. Kaori Tsukinose was an interesting addition; she admired the other girl's intelligence and sharp wit, but overall, she simply wasn't sure about her. However, she didn't think it mattered. As long as they worked together to get through this, nothing else was really that important. Turning her gaze away from the other girl, who was clearly watching the other students and taking mental notes,she nodded her approval of Moto joining them. Her drive would get them far.

They had agreed to split up, under her own demands, but being surrounded by the three smartest girls in the entire class was both comforting and fighting at the same time. Her one million point flag, stood apart from their flag with the combined points of the three. She had special treatment. Being first had painted a target on her, and with these three, she could hold out. Fuyuki took a deep breath, watching as Midnight's whip fell, starting the game.

"Raiji, protect Moto. Kinoshita, you're with me," Kaori ordered, watching the other students. They had a large target painted on their backs due to Moto's flag but she wasn't concerned. She had this plan, and three others if for some reason this one didn't work. She fully believed it would.

"I can give you a smokescreen," Fuyuki said. Since Nakamaru had healed her arms she would be able to use her smoke.

Kaori nodded, having already decided this. "Do it." That would go a long way. She reached up, pulling off her goggles and putting them on. She glanced at Kinoshita, eyes quickly adjusting to the protected view she was now seeing out of. The other girl looked ready.

"Just give me a signal and I'll remove it. They'll still know what direction you are going, I can't give you that much smoke," Fuyuki said.

"We'll worry about that." Kaori shifted slightly, deciding which one she would go after first. "Kinoshita," she grabbed her arm, pulling her several feet away. Positions had to be perfect. "Stay here. They'll be coming to you."

Hanami quickly realized what the other girl had to be thinking, understanding her quirk as she did. "Alright. I'm ready."

"Smoke," Kaori calle over to Moto, readying herself for the next part of her plan. It all relied on everyone doing her part; they better not let her down.

Fuyuki focused, smoke wafting up from her skin. Fortunately the other teams were still on the move, not yet ready to engage each other. Smoke floated around Tsukinose and she pulled all her attention on controlling it to follow the other girl's movements.

Her target was Jaygun Ryu, the pervert from class B. How he ever ended up in the hero course, she really had no idea. His quirk had very little use and his personality was even more lacking. Shaking her head, Kaori centered her gaze onto him, switching their positions quickly.

Hanami had been prepared for anything, but she was still caught by the sudden appearance of that nasty boy from class B. He looked startled, and she used that to her advantage, jerking off one of her leather gloves and repelling him hard against the wall. She probably shouldn't be as satisfied as she was when he was knocked out.

"I wonder what idiot let him be on their team," Fuyuki muttered, scowling. At least he was out of the way.

"Someone just as stupid?" Hanami asked, grimacing. He was beyond disgusting. "What a creep."

Kaori narrowed her eyes, gaze focusing in on Sumire Chikanda with the fascinating quirk known as Banshee. She nodded to herself, knowing that was her next logical target as the other girl had flags. If anything, it would be a challenge and she really did like challenges.

Sumire grabbed the flag, tossing it to Suzuki before looking around. This was going so well! They had already nabbed another team's flag. After losing two members they really didn't have much going for them so she had swept in claiming the banner.

"Kinoshita, I'm going after Chikanda," Kaori said, straightening. Teamwork only worked if there was communication involved even though Kaori thought every action she took was obvious "Keep defending the others and make sure you get the flag." With those words, she switched places with the flag that Eiko Suzuki was holding. The action surprised the other student and in seconds, Kaori reached out, striking his Vagus nerve. He instantly dropped, and she spun around, facing Chikanda.

"Aah!" Sumire shrieked in surprise. Though the sound started out scratchy and rough, due to an unused voice, but increased as it left her lips becoming an ear piercing scream.

Grimacing as her ears began to ring, Kaori pulled back, stepping quickly and taking a quick moment to examine things. She needed to get close, and quickly because she knew the other girl's quirk would only get worse.

"You don't want to do this," Sumire's voice echoed in painfully high pitches around them. Fortunately her teammates were holding back. She needed to protect their flag.

Kaori saw no point in replying, especially when something else caught her eye. She would get that flag one way or another but not at the moment. She was about to have company and out of them all, Aina Ito would be the most challenging she thought. She sighed, rocking back on her heels. She had this under control. Everything would work the way it would go. It had to. Her parents were watching and so as her cousin and his family. She had to show she was worthy of the Tsukinose name.

Nana Yagami zipped through the lines, her target, Tsukinose. She was the most dangerous of Class A and to win, they needed to take that million point flag.

Fukushima: Oil Slick. Ito: Leafcutter Ant. Kōmori: Echolocate. The thoughts went quickly through Kaori's mind as she saw the group of the girls that were steadily approaching. Who would be the...wait, there was another. Yagami. She had been with them earlier but where was she now? They wouldn't have separated...unless...ambush. Realizing this quickly, Kaori dropped and rolled, just as Yagami appeared.

Nana grimaced as her punch soared through clean air. She sped away, running back to the others. "That was close," she said, taking a deep breath.

"Nana, you need to loosen up," Kana Fukushima laughed. "You had that under control. Keep going. Kaede do you mind helping us out against a classmate?"

Aina listened but focused her attention on Kaori Tsukinose. She wasn't sure this was the best of ideas but that flag would help them more than just about anything else.

"I don't mind," Kaede shrugged. "And we are going for the flag. It is the point of the game."

"What is our plan?" Aina asked, hping they had some sort of one. She knew Tsukinose was some sort of strategic genius.

"Nana and you attack," Kana said after a moment. "Kaede will keep everyone in touch and I'll go for the flag," she said in a hushed voice.

Aina nodded quickly. That was as good as anything, she supposed. She didn't have any other ideas.

"Let's go," Kana grinned.

"Yagami," Aina said, turning to the other girl. "Divide and conquer?" That might be the best course of action; perhaps catch Tsukinose off guard somewhat.

"Yeah," Nana nodded after a second. "Let's go."

Nodding, her way of saying 'good luck', Aina darted through the crowd. This was going to get interesting.

Nana zipped through the crowd watching as Kana melted to the ground. She whirled around Tsukinose, throwing two kicks at her.

Having been given enough time to work out a few ideas, Kaori was ready for her. She dodged both, then an attack by Ito, who had appeared without much warning. The girl was impressive, she had to admit, because not many did her fighting style, but she paid that little mind. She didn't have time for any of that.

Nana threw in punches, trading out with Ito as they kept Tsukinose busy. She didn't have time to look, wondering if Fukushima had the flag yet.

She knew what they were doing and while she would admit that it was a well thought plan, Kaori was losing her patience. It was simply busy work and this was not the time for such. Deciding it would be ideal to take herself out of the equestion, she locked onto another student and in a matter of seconds, she had switched with them, letting the boy be in the middle of Yagami and Ito. She needed to get back to her team, though she was going to snatch a flag on her way back. That scuffle had been exactly what she was wanting: a chance to show what she could do.

"Sorry," Rin jumped on her back, covering her eyes with his left hand and silver light already pulsing down his right arm. "Ikeda's orders."

Annoyed, Kaori reached back, grabbing his ankles then crashing to the ground. "I wouldn't expect anything else," she grunted, elbowing him in the ribs.

Rin coughed, keeping his hold as he wrapped the other arm around to drain her. Things were going well, right?

Less than impressed, Kaori grabbed his arm then wrenched it back as hard as she could without dislocating it. She wanted him stunned, not completely immobile. As she did this, she hit him again, going after the pressure point in his side this time.

Choking on a breath, Rin loosened his hold, staring in surprise at her as he hit the ground. There was a whistle and he stood, rubbing his arm before retreating.

Kaori had to take a moment to catch her breath. Her side was throbbing from where she had fallen on already tender ribs from Yagami, she had been stupid letting her get so close, but she was glad that at least she had gotten free from Rin's grip with minimal issues.

Masami grinned as Katou bolted back to their home base with the million point flag. Kinoshita and the others had been busy fighting off the girl from class B long enough for them to sneak in and make off with the coveted prize. Their team was moving back, now the target of the others.

Realizing what was happening, Kaori swore under her breath. It was fine, just a change of plans. Always have more than one, especially for situations like this. It was a loss, but they weren't out of the running yet. They would just have to make it up with others.

The longer this one, the more Anamiya felt his anxiety grow. He had thought he could do this, surrounded by his friends, losing himself in the game, but being the center of attention like this was the worst thing imaginable and he didn't know how much more he could take. Surely they were about out of time, surely they were, he tried to convince himself, desperation growing.

"We did it," Rin walked up to Anmiya, massassing his aching arm.

"We did," Anamiya said faintly. That meant they could call it good right?

"We have the lead now, all we have to do is protect it," Rin glanced at him. "Are you alright?"

Anamiya waved a hand. "Just fine," he said, voice coming out a little strangled. "Lots of people you know." That was an understatement. There were so many...he was sure there were now even more.

"Yeah," Rin glanced up briefly at the arena. "You have family here?"

"Somewhere," Anamiya murmured. He had done his best not to look at the crowd in search of them; it only made him more nervous.

"That's nice," Rin nodded. He grimaced as he saw the other teams had noticed they had the million point flag.

Anamiya made a mhm sound, pulling at the collar of his t-shirt. His throat was getting a little tight; how was he going to keep doing this? He could feel sweat making its way down his back.

"Are you alright?" Rin asked.

"I don't know if I can keep doing this," Anamiya blurted, unable to keep the words from his mouth any longer. "There's just so many people here and they're watching and Rin, I don't know how I can do this with everyone staring."

"You can do it," Rin said encouragingly. "We have the flag and we are in first place."

That, Anamiya knew, was meant to reassure him but it didn't come close. He honestly felt sick. "Which means we're bigger targets," he murmured, tripping off the words.

"But we can fight them off," Rin shook his head.

"I…." Anamiya ran a hand across his face, wiping away sweat from his temples. "Rin...I…" He didn't even know what he was wanting to say, his thoughts a scattered mess.

"You can do it," Rin put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't think about the crowds."

Anamiya shuddered slightly; now that he was told not to think of them, he couldn't do anything but that. "I really don't think I can do this," he said, voice cracking.

"Uh, what can I do to help?" Rin looked around. He wasn't sure how to help since they were in the middle of the trial.

"Hit me," Anamiya said suddenly, latching onto a desperte idea. "That'll take me out of the game." He didn't care at this point. He was fine not going further.

"Hit you?" Rin yelped. "You are on my team I can't do that."

"I'll just ask Kaori," Anamiya decided. Now that he had this idea, he saw no better one. It would take him out and everything would be alright.

"No no, she might actually hit you," Rin rubbed his arm. "Uh," he reached out a finger, poking Anamiya in the forehead.

Anamiya collapsed to the ground, a heap of long limbs and black hair.

Rin stared down at him before pulling him towards the wall where he would be safer.

"Thanks," Anamiya said softly, beyond relieved. He would have to owe Rin one for this.

"Yeah," Rin nodded, before hurrying back.

Leaning against the wall, Anamiya's relief grew. He would root for his team, support them, just from over here. He knew they would be just fine.

"So they have it," Keoko looked over at Akio. "So what's the game plan?"

Wondering how he had been elected leader, Akio glanced at the three flags they had collected, then looked at Akari, an idea forming. "Katou is the one with it, right?"

"Yeah, but he's got Nakamura and Ikeda...and I think Yun isn't in the fight anymore." Keoko looked thoughtful.

"Eizen and I will distract Rin and Ikeda," Akio said quickly, rewarded with a nod from the other Saito, "Akari, your goal is Katou. Encourage him to see something, maybe a large group of other students, something. Keoko, go after the flag and keep the ones we have."

Quite certain that she had never heard him say so many words in all the time they had known each other, Akari nodded, somewhat nervous. "We can do that."

"Yes!" Keoko grinned. "I get to nab the flag!"

Akari grinned back, then turned. "Good luck," she called over her shoulder to the boys, searching for Katou.

Keoko danced around, with the two other flags they had skipping in time with her as she waited.

"There," Akari said quickly, finding the boy not too far away. She swallowed hard, took a deep breath. She could do this. "I'm going to see if I can keep him from noticing you but you have to be fast."

"Alright," Keoko nodded. "All I have to do is touch it."

"Easy," Akari said, creeping closer to Katou and very ware that Keoko was close. What could she do? A sudden idea struck her and she grinned, quite pleased with herself as she stared at. She hoped Tsukinose wouldn't mind her borrowing her image for a little while.

"Aah!" Genjiro clutched the flag. Tsukinose hadn't liked being tackled by Rin and now she was coming for him. "Ikeda!" he shrieked running away.

Akari fought a giggle as she kept Tsukinose after him. She glanced at Keoko, letting her know to go for it. If all went as well as she was hoping it would, he wouldn't even see her.

Keoko ran forward, dashing towards the flags. She had only a few seconds. She needed to get close to Katou and touch the million point flag he was holding.

Holding the image of Tsukinose in her mind, Akari changed the background, taking Keoko out and adding nothing. She had never tried to do something like this before so all she could was hope it worked.

Genjiro ran around, doing his best to avoid the other players. At least there were no rules about taking your flags around.

Knowing the girls had it handled, they always did, Akio didn't hesitate in attacking Masami Ikeda. He knew if he let up, even once, she would have the upper hand but he had to keep her from going to Katou's aid.

Masami dodged, trying to get eye contact as subtly as she could. This was becoming difficult. She needed to figure him out.

Refusing to let their gazes meet, Akio kept going after her. He could do much more, but something kept him from doing it. Perhaps it was a mixture of not knowing how far he could go, his limits, and not wanting to knock her out of the fight. He didn't know, but he kept going. He wondered if Eizen was having success with Rin or not.

Rin kept the light pulsing down his arm. He avoided Eizen Saito's attacks, trying to get a few punches of his own in.

Power met power as Eizen did his best to met Rin's quirk. He had a good supply, having kept away from Keoko as much as he could to build up. He didn't understand why but she had the ability to make everything seem a little brighter He shook his head quickly, focusing instead on the bleak feelings that lingered deep inside him.

Keoko kept running, just when she was getting close, Genjiro decided on a new plan and ran a different direction.

"Come on," Akari murmured. She wasn't sure how long she could keep doing this.

Keoko leapt as Genjiro ran a few feet from her. Her fingertips brushed the pole just barely. Yes! She wiggled her nose as it tickled as she took control of the flag.

Genjiro yelped as the flag bounced out of his hand. What had just happened. He found himself chasing the flag instead of running from Tsukinose. Wait, where had Tsukinose gone?"

Gasping as she released control, Akari took a moment, getting herself composed again then grinned. They had done it! Victory was so close. She quickly got to her feet, chasing after them.

"Got it!" Keoko yelled. Running across the field she suddenly felt a pull on one of the flags. Katou had the pole of a flag and was holding it with a death like grip. Keoko frowned, oh dear she needed to deal with him.

Her eyes widening as she realized what was going on, Akari quickly planted another image in Katou's mind, this time of an identical flag. Would it work?

Keoko pulled the flag out of his grasp, seeing Akari nod. Her ability made others sense things as well. "Got it," she grinned. "For sure!"

Akari managed a grin, though her concentration was fully on Katou. She had to let Keoko get aways away before she dropped her images.

Rokuro ran past, snatching one of the flags that Masami Ikeda was standing guard over. As long as he didn't look her in the eyes. A lesson learned when he had clashed with Class B previously.

"That's for stealing our flag!" he shouted over his shoulder, pleased with himself. With Nakamaru busy helping Katou and Yun down for the count they were easy bait.

Masami cursed, they only had three flags left. "Get over here," she ordered. "We are going defensive. If my calculations are correct, we still have enough points to place high enough to advance to round three."

Rokuro planted the flag, glad to have wrangled a high pointer away from a team. Now they had advanced considerably. He shared a fistbump with his team, giving the flag's protection to Hanko.

"Our flag ranks just right under the million pointer," Rokuro pointed out proudly. "So if we can steal both, the others will look like sidekicks compared to us." Anger welled in his chest and his body began to glow an intense red.

"Yay, I'm sure that will impress the heroes," Kamin Aokuma cheered happily, clapping her paws together. "Let's go get the million point flag!"

"Shimizu has it, it won't be easy to get away," Narruk noted, voice low.

"Not so fast."

The flag ripped out of the ground, falling into the hands of Jakuno Dorado, Class B's thieving quirk user. Rokuro spun, eyes blazing.

"We had that first, give it back!" he yelled.

"Gotta catch me first," Jakuno shrugged, walking off.

Rokuro darted after him, "You bastard!" He stopped suddenly, falling backwards. He hit the ground, rubbing his head.

"Oops," Miwa Dotani covered her mouth with a gloved hand. "I guess you ran into my invisible walls."

"That's it!" Jakuno yelled back at his teammate. "Keep them cornered I'll…"

He was cut off as he ran into Kamin's fist. She yanked the flag away, knocking him several feet away. He lay dizzy in the sand unable to get up while stars danced in his vision.

"Sorry," Kamin waved, taking their flag back.

"TEN SECONDS!" Present Mic's voice reverberated throughout the arena.

"Go!" Rokuro struggled to get out of the invisible prison.

Narruk bolted for Shimizu, teeth bared as he prepared to snatch the flag away. She wasn't even looking.

Keoko yelped as she spotted Kamin and the wolf boy from Class B as well as Hanko making a beeline towards her. She took off, flags hopping beside her.

"AKIO, AKARI, EIZEN!" she shrieked as she dashed across the arena.

She knew she was outmatched in speed and strength. She needed her teammates or she was in a boatload of trouble.

Turning quickly, Akio raised his hands, water spinning rapidly above them both then forming two large balls. He tossed them both, slamming them into Kamin and the Class B boy. He wasn't surprised to see a blast of blue from Eizen, hitting Hanko.

"You forgot polar bears could swim!" Kamin shook the water off, avoiding an attack from Saito.

"We have less than ten seconds," Rin said, silver light fracturing down his arm.

He had just dropped three of his classmates, draining them of energy to fight. Daitenshi had withdrawn, though he still had their flags, leaving Rin with the poles. He should have seen through that trick.

"Come on, Genjiro, let's get the flag while they are distracted," he glanced at the other boy.

Out of sight, Akari took a deep breath, then formed an image of Kaori and her team. The real girls were last seen engaging with Kaede Kōmori and her group but Katou and Nakamaru hopefully wouldn't know that for the next eight or so seconds.

Keoko yelped, jumping out of the way as Narruk lunged at her. This was the longest ten seconds of her life when would it be over?

"We have less than a 10 percent chance of getting that flag," Hikari said, running alongside Kaori. They had left Hanami and Moto defending against Kōmori and her team and were now heading to the others. She was sure they were close but she didn't pay attention, focusing instead on their task.

"I know," Kaori said, having calculated that out herself. "But Rin and Genjiro have a fifteen percent." She had no doubt they both would be insufferable if they won and she simply didn't have the patience for that.

Seeing her point there, Hikari nodded, then let a charge. The boys seemed distracted so they would use that to their advantage. Letting it build for a second, she waited as Kaoti suddenly switched positions with Katou.

Now that she was right beside Rin, Kaori slammed her foot into his knees, bringing him down to the ground with the action.

"Ack!" Rin cried out, hitting the ground. With his hyper energy coursing through him he jumped back up facing her.

Fuyuki made a grab for the flag, falling short as Shimizu darted away again, her teammates supporting her.

Keoko ducked, hiding behind Akio and Eizen. She brought the million point flag closer. At almost the same time Kinoshita and the wolf boy made a lunge for it.

 **"TIME!"**

* * *

 **Another chapter! Thought we would put a spin on the ole Calvary Battle. For those of you wondering we are keeping the 1x1 fights, results posted in the next chapter! Glad you guys are sticking around even though updates aren't as often...**

 **Hope you enjoyed the chapter! See ya next time!**


	22. Chapter 20

_Reviews with Alumni and Loki_

 _Supreme Kai of Booty ~ Maybe it was both! We'd love for the story to continue to grow in both plot and smoothness. Glad you liked this chapter!_

 _gold crown dragon ~ Unfortunately our boldly plumaged boi didn't make the cut. I'm glad you have so much faith in us...I hope we live up to it!_

 _61394 ~ Well actually it was Hanami/Kaori...the other guy is an unfortunate who happens to have a similar name with the same sounds attached but different endings. Much like our unfortunate Haruto/Haruko situation...which I (Alumni) may be partially to blame..._

 _LifeisBeautiful17 ~ Glad you liked the chapter! Hope things don't get so confusing in this one lol!_

 _MysteryAgain ~ Ugh she did so well, we are so proud of her *wipes tear away*_

 _ChillyIce ~ Glad you liked it! We had fun mixing the two...Class B deserves some Sports Festival screen time...Kamin and maybe Narruk are fun!_

 _Butterfly Chikage ~ I'm glad you always like the chapters! Reine is a sweetheart and I'm glad she's joined her squad (well she's technically an honorary member of all squads but this is her main team) Thanks for the review!_

* * *

 **First Place Team: Akio Saito, Eizen Saito, Akari Seishin, and Keoko Shimizu.**

 **Second Place Team: Kamin Aokuma, Haruto Hank, Narruk Mondronen, and Rokuro Saito.**

 **Third Place Team: Masami Ikeda, Genjiro Katou, Rin Nakamaru, and Anamiya Yun.**

 **Fourth Place Team: Hanami Kinoshita, Fuyuki Moto, Hikari Raiji, and Kaori Tsukinose.**

"AND THESE FOLKS WILL BE BE MOVING ON TO OUR NEXT EVENT! YOU KNOW IT, THE FAMOUS ONE ON ONE BATTLE ROYAL! Oh what's this? IT LOOKS LIKE ANAMIYA YUN HAS WITHDRAWN FROM HIS STANDING OF TWELFTH PLACE. THIS MEANS THE ONLY STANDING MEMBER OF THE TEAM IN FIFTH PLACE, SUTOI DAITENSHI, WILL BE JOINING THE FINAL SIXTEEN'S RANKS!"

Present Mic's words rang through the arena as a break was called so the final event could be set up. This gave the students a lunch break before the afternoon's final trial. Though hardly anyone stuck around for lunch, instead saying hello to visiting family in the stands or planning out strategies.

Rin staggered as he slammed the door shut to the small bathroom, unused for the most part by the Sports Festival guests. Not sleeping for the past week, chain smoking, and eating nothing but sweets hadn't helped. His body was overloading with energy. If he didn't get rid of it now he'd have a heart attack. Unsheathing the knife he had kept from his last spar with Tsukinose, he staggered over to the table. Right. He'd done this before. But that had been a long time ago. Hopefully it would work again. Turning the blade towards him, he gritted his teeth, preparing for the pain. Hands shaking he drove the blade into his stomach. Uttering a muffled cry, he winced as blood splattered across the floor. He'd have to clean that up, he'd forgotten how messy blood was.

It took Anamiya several minutes to convince himself to go after Rin. He didn't want to bother him, but when they had passed by each other in the hallway...well, he really didn't look all that together. He had helped him so much already so maybe he could finally return the favor. Sighing, he went to bathroom door and knocked gently. He might not even be there but he had to try. With no answer, he tried the knob, just to see if it was unlocked. Surprised that it was, he opened the door and walked in.

Rin gulped, trying to wipe the blood off his chin as Anamiya stepped in the door. This would be hard to explain. Wondering how to explain himself, he grimaced, trying to hide the fact he had a knife in him.

His words dying on his lips, Anamiya stared, eyes wide and face pale at the knife...and the blood. There was so much blood. "Rin?" he asked hoarsely, wondering what exactly he had just walked into.

"Sorry," Rin grimaced. "Uh…" he clenched the knife, pulling it out and stashing it behind his back. Pain richoced across his middle and it took all his willpower to keep standing. Probably not the best decision to pull the knife out in front of Anamiya but he couldn't think with it in. Golden light sparked across his stomach, and the wound sealed itself shut.

"I…" Anamiya swallowed hard, feeling vaguely ill. "What did you do?" he asked finally, not entirely sure what else to say. He was having a hard time wrapping his mind around seeing a knife in his best friend's stomach, that he apparently put there himself.

"It's a way to release extra energy," Rin glanced at his hand, glad to see it wasn't shaking anymore. "Uh...sorry you had to walk in on it."

"It's alright," Anamiya said faintly, though it really wasn't. How was he alright with losing so much blood?

"I'll clean up," Rin grabbed a paper towel. He bent, cleaning up the mess.

"Are you feeling...better?" Anamiya asked after a moment, not entirely sure what to do with himself now.

"Yeah," Rin nodded. "Uh, when I get too much energy I get a sick feeling. I've been told I can have a heart attack because of it."

Anamiya's expression quickly turned to horror. "A heart attack?" he repeated, voice coming out a little high.

"Yeah, though it's never happened...and my body would heal immediately after," Rin explained, scrubbing the floor.

Anamiya opened his mouth then closed it. A moment passed then he swallowed hard. "And there's nothing else you can do?"

"I don't have am output like Genjiro so, unless I heal a lot of people, there's no other way," Rin replied.

"That's horrible," Anamiya said softly. He had no idea how Rin managed to deal with any of this.

"I've only had to do it twice," Rin shrugged. "It's a last minute kind of deal. Oh well, it's not as painful as it looks."

"But you lost a lot of blood," Anamiya pointed out, wondering if he should believe him or not. It looked beyond awful.

"I'll get it back soon," Rin said. "Don't worry, I'll be in fine shape for the fights."

Anamiya managed a small smile, though he had no idea if he was really that reassured or not. "I'm counting on you, Genjiro and Kaori. One of you have to win this thing."

"Yeah," Rin threw away his dirty paper towels. "That's the thing, I'm not sure my quirk is very offensive for a one on one...and...I've never really liked fighting…"

Anamiya could understand that. He didn't like fighting either. "Kaori will never let you live it down if you don't at least give it a shot," he reminded him.

"Yeah," Rin grimaced. "I'll do my best…"

"I believe in you," Anamiya said with a slightly bigger smile than before.

"Thanks," Rin smiled. "Let's go back out there!"

Taking a deep breath, trying to clear his mind of bloodstained images, Anamiya nodded. "Yeah, let's. I want to take Genjiro and you to meet my parents." He had no idea where Kaori had slipped off to but it had been awhile since he had seen her.

"They are here?" Rin glanced at him. "That's exciting!"

Anamiya flushed, ducking his head. He was glad they were he was also glad they understood why he had withdrawn. "They are. They made it in. I wasn't sure if they would be able to but they did and I...well, I'm glad."

"I'm glad," Rin smiled. "I bet they are proud of you."

The flush instantly deepened and Anamiya cleared his throat. "I hope so," he said, embarrassment flooding him. He cleared his throat after a moment. "Do you want to see First Aid first?"

"I'm sure I'll run into her," Rin grinned. "Let's go!"

Beginning to feel a bit better about this whole situation now, Anamiya nodded, stepping into the hallway. He was ready.

* * *

"Dad and Mom promised they would take off work and come see us," Keoko chatted. "I thought during the break we can say hi to them and your mom."

Akio nodded, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He was sure she was there with them, which he was glad of. She needed to be distracted from his father, who was here somewhere more than likely.

"And Eizen isn't hanging out with me because he has to be gloom and doom for the fights, which I totally understand, so it's just you and me, partner," Keoko said, assuming a poor American southern accent.

Giving her a look, wondering where she had even come up with that, Akio shrugged a shoulder. Akari had been taken out for lunch by her parents, he thought. They had seen each other in passing, which was how he knew as he was keeping his phone off.

"I picked it up from Roundup," Keoko read his look, beaming at him proudly.

Not sure if that was a good thing or not, Akio just shook his head. Of course she did. He supposed it could be worse.

"There they are!" Keoko bolted away from Akio, running up to her parents.

Taking a much slower pace, Akio got there a few moments later, nodding at both of Keoko's parents then giving his own mom a small smile.

"You've done so good," Sara Shimizu said brightly, giving her daughter a fierce hug. She was very proud of how well she had done so far.

"Thank you, Mom," Keoko returned the embrace.

Riku reached out, ruffling her hair. "We're rooting for you baby."

"Glad to know that," Keoko beamed up at her dad.

Deciding to let Keoko and her parents have a moment, Akio set down beside his own mother, giving her a small smile and a nod.

"You are doing so well out there, leading your little group, very proud of you," Makato smiled, resting a hand on his shoulder.

Akio felt his face grow warm and he studied... something. "Thanks," he murmured. He was just trying his best. "We'll see how the rest goes."

"You'll do fine," Makato replied firmly. "No matter your placement."

Feeling somewhat reassured, he hadn't realized how much he was bothered by this whole thing, Akio gave her another small smile. "I'll do my best," he said softly. He just wanted his mother and siblings to br proud, tough he wasn't terribly worried about the latter. They all had a fierce pride in each other, they always had.

"Are you hungry? Do you want lunch? Where are your other friends?" Sara asked, opening up a small box to show she had brought some of her daughter's favorite pastries with them.

"Ooh," Keoko took a pastry. "I love these! I'm fine, I had an onigiri earlier. They are getting ready for the final rounds."

"Alright," Sara said with a smile. She gave Akio a grateful look, knowing he had made sure she had eaten. Rather he would admit it or not, he was a bit of a mother hen. "I look forward to meeting them once this is over. I'm sure they're lovely."

Riku turned to Akio, giving him a large smile. "We're rooting for you too," he promised. Akio was basically their son at this point. "You're killing it out there kid."

Akio ducked his head again. He appreciated the support. He hoped that he, Keoko, and Akari and Eizen would be able to advance all fairly far but they would just have to see.

* * *

"I wasn't sure if you would come or not." Shouta Aizawa crossed his arms. He had just finished placing a call, checking in on Eri, when he had seen a familiar face, sitting in the stands. He had debated a moment on approaching but ultimately decided to do that; it had been a while since they had shared a conversation.

"Hello, Mr. Aizawa." Izuku Midoriya, or more formally known as, Number Seven Pro Hero Deku, rose from his seat, juggling two notebooks and a pencil. "It's good to see you. I had a few hours off so I thought I'd come here."

"You haven't been my student in years," Shouta pointed out, sitting down. He made note of the baseball hat he wore; it was probably to keep from being as easily recognized.

"Right," Midoriya laughed a little. "I'm just making some notes on the new students."

Shouta nodded, not surprised. Very little had changed. "We have several interesting ones," he murmured. That was the only way to describe it.

"You are still teaching Homeroom, right?" Midoriya asked.

Shouta nodded again. He would be doing that for several more years. "I saw the news coverage on what you did with that hostage rescue last week. Risky but well done."

"Oh well, that's just my job," Midoriya ran a hand across the back of his head. "Plus I had a lot of help from my sidekicks."

Grunting, Shouta took a moment to survey the crowd. It wasn't hard to make out the Saito siblings; they were far too tall to be anything but noticeable. "How are you?" he asked finally.

"I'm doing alright," Midoriya took a deep breath. "Uh..it's been hard. Especially with the one year anniversary coming up, but I'm doing my best to follow in his footsteps. Do what he would have wanted done."

Shouta was silent for several moments. He rarely talked about it, if any, but he missed his old friend. "He would be proud of you," he said after a moment.

"Thank you," Midoriya nodded. "You...haven't found any new leads, have you?" he asked hesitantly.

Shouta shook his head. That bothered him a lot more than he admitted. "Not yet but I've been looking. You'll be the first to know if something comes up."

"Thank you," Midoriya bowed. "I did have some questions," he said, straightening as he changed the subject. "About the new students."

Having expected something like this, Shouta waved a hand. "Ask away," he said, though he knew that his former student really didn't need permission.

"One student didn't use his quirk at all," Midoriya flipped through a couple of pages.

Shouta exhaled softly, knowing exactly who that was. "Anamiya Yun," he said, wondering if the boy had any idea how obvious it had been when he had asked Nakamaru to hit him. He was surprised, but somewhat proud, that he lasted so long.

"Also it seems as if he wanted to be...knocked out of the games," Midoriya said, scribbling down the name. "Also the student prior to the start of the second round, the one with the shadow quirk, disappeared before everything started. Both entered with A class, correct?"

Shouta nodded. He wasn't sure what they were going to do about Liam Crook. "Liam Crook," he said,knowing his former student would know the name.

"Alright," Midoriya finished writing. "Thank you, I'll remember them."

Nodding again, Shouta glanced around again. "I think they'll both end up going places." Crook, if they could get him to let go of some of his paranoia. "How long are you going to be here?"

"Fortunately, I can stay until the one on one battles are over." Midoriya wrote something else down before putting his pencil down. "But I'm afraid I won't be able to make it for the Second Years or the Charity Dinner. I may get a chance to see the one on ones for the Third Years though."

"You'll be missed." Shouta really wasn't looking forward to going; dinners like those were the bane of his existence. "Eri will be here before much longer if you want to say hi."

"I do, I haven't seen her in a while," Midoriya smiled.

Shouta gave the smallest of smiles. "You have my number," he said, standing.

"Yes, I've been so busy lately, its a shame really," Midoriya ran a hand along the back of his head.

"Perks of being who you are," Shouta said with a shrug. He wouldn't wish to trade places for the world.

"Yes, but I'll make time to come see everyone," Midoriya promised.

"Hitoshi's expecting you," Shouta said, pulling out his phone. "Call me after and I'll bring Eri over." He was sure his daughter would be excited about this.

"I will, thank you Mr...Aizawa," Midoriya bowed.

Shaking his head, Aizawa gave him the smallest of smiles then turned. He didn't have long before he had to get back to work; he debated briefly on slipping away but knew Mic wouldn't let him. Damn it.

* * *

Genjiro walked around, hoping to meet a famous hero in the stands. It was rare, but maybe he could get an autograph. He didn't have family here like some of the others, but that was alright. He knew his uncle would be watching from the tv in the restaurant.

Taking a piece of gum out of her pocket and beginning to chew it as she pondered the next part of the test, Hikari was surprised when she nearly ran into Genjiro Katou. It seemed she had been too lost in her thoughts. "Sorry, I didn't see you there."

"Oh that's alright, Raiji," Genjiro waved his hands. "I shouldn't have stopped in the middle of the path."

Accepting this, Hikari made a move to go around him, then paused. "What are you doing?" she asked, brows knitting together slightly. He seemed to be just lingering.

"Oh, . just looking around," Genjiro shrugged, avoiding the empty seat he had just ran narrowed her eyes, just slig

Hikari frowned, just slightly. "You don't have family here?" she asked, though it really wasn't a question. Surely he would have been with them if he did.

"Uh no, but they are watching," Genjiro smiled. He was sure his uncle's regulars were there, and they counted as family too.

Hikari's frown grew, just slightly, shifting her weight. A moment passed. "Well…do you want to come back with me?" she asked finally. She waved a hand in the direction she was heading. "My parents are here."

"Oh sure!" Genjiro smiled. "I've always wondered what kind of parents our class rep has."

Hikari shrugged. They were simply her parents; two highly intelligent individuals who she hoped to make proud out here. "Come on. This way," she said, beginning to walk.

"Alright," Genjiro nodded.

"I'm impressed with the way your team handled yourselves in the last round," Hikari admitted as they walked. Some of what they did wasn't all that strategic, but overall, they had proved themselves to be quite notable.

"Oh, thank you. We kind of had an interesting strategy. Ikeda is cool, I think she makes a great leader," Genjiro nodded.

"Well, I'm glad Tsukinose came to our side. She was a good addition," Hikari said. The other girl was rather interesting; and highly arrogant, but she was extremely brilliant which she appreciated it.

"Yeah, she's certainly smart," Genjiro replied.

Shaking her head, Hikari looked around, trying to find her parents in the crowd again. She found them after a moment, engaged in conversation with someone who had to be Hanami Kinoshita's parents; her mother was nearly a splitting image of her. "Why did Yun withdraw?" she asked; it had been something she was wondering since he had done that.

"The attention I think," Genjiro squirmed. "Or the pressure."

Hikari thought over this for a moment. "I see," she said finally. She thought she actually might.

"But he did really well before," Genjiro pointed out.

"He did," Hikari agreed. She knew somewhat about low self-confidence. "I'm sure he made quite an impression."

"You did too," Genjiro nodded. "How do you feel about the one on one battles?"

Hikari shrugged a shoulder. "Depends on who I go up against," she said. She had given it some serious thought and knew what odds she had against who.

"Well out of the sixteen, who do you want to fight?" Genjiro asked.

"I suppose Akio Saito," Hikari said finally. Their quirks would be interesting against one another.

"Whoa, wouldn't that be dangerous?" Genjiro's eyes widened. "I mean with your quirks and all."

Hikari shrugged. "Eventually, I might well go up against someone whose quick wouldn't be compatible with mine, like his, so what better way to test a situation like that in a controlled environment?"

"That's true," Genjiro said thoughtfully. "You are a great Class Rep, always thinking of situations like this."

Hikari ducked her head. She was grateful for his belief; she felt like she hadn't quite found her footing with the responsibility yet but she was taking it very seriously. "Thank you," she murmured, then paused. "Have I thanked you yet for your vote?"

"Uh, I don't know," Genjiro shrugged. "But you don't have to. It was the right thing to do. You deserved it...and its really clear now."

Hikari wasn't sure about this, but she nodded, accepting his compliment. He was very optimistic about things. "I'm trying to do what's right," she said as they approached her parents.

"And you are doing a great job at it." Genjiro smiled.

Hikari returned the smile, but was saved from answering by her parents. "This is Genjiro Katou," she said, motioning to him. "One of my classmates."

"Nice to meet you," Genjiro waved.

* * *

"Oh, hello sir, I wasn't expecting to find you here," Takeshi Saito bowed respectfully. "It must be an extreme honor for Japan's Number One hero to come to U.A's Sports Festival."

Hideyoshi Abe looked up, then smiled. "I haven't come to one of these in years," he said. "No one's really recognized me and I'm not sure if I'm offended or not."

"Well you didn't come in costume, it would be hard not to recognize Bishamoten in full gear," Takeshi grinned.

Laughing, Hideyoshi shrugged helplessly. "I suppose that's a god reason if there's any."

"Are you looking for a sidekick?" Takeshi asked curiously.

"Not really," Hideyoshi said, scanning the students again. "Not many can keep up with me. Mainly, I'm here for curiosity's sake.""

"Then just enjoying the entertainment?" Takeshi grinned, leaning against the rail. "I've heard there are some pretty impressive Third Years coming out. There's also a second year, Miura, whose quirk is Genius."

"Oh, well that's interesting," Hideyoshi murmured. He hadn't heard about that one yet.

"Its true, I've heard many of the top 50 Pros have their eyes on her," Takeshi shrugged.

"I might have to look into her." Hideyoshi shrugged again. "But if she's wanted by that many, I would have my work cut out for me."

"Who could refuse the Number One Hero?" Takeshi spread his hands.

Hideyoshi laughed, amusement coloring his expression. "Good point. We'll see what happens."

"Aye, well my brother should be fighting soon," Takeshi said proudly. "I better be going. It was good seeing you, Bishamoten."

"Tell him good luck," Hideyoshi said with a lopsided grin. "I look forward to seeing if he lives up to the Saito name."

"He will," Takeshi grinned. "He is one of us."

Hideyoshi grinned again. "He's got a lot to live up to."

"Aye, but he'll do it," Takeshi leaned out, looking at the arena. "I know he will."

* * *

"ALRIGHT FOLKS IT'S THE MOMENT YOU'VE BEEN WAITING FOR! THE….!"

One on one battles.

The words weighing heavily upon his shoulders, Akio took a deep breath, then relaxed or as much as he could. He knew his parents were watching, knew his siblings were as well. He had to make them proud but Hanami Kinoshita wasn't slacking in the opponent department. He watched her, expression revealing nothing as he searched for an opening he could take. There wasn't any moisture in the air he could use but that didn't mean he was out of options. There was sweat Kinoshita had rolling down her temples, due to the humidity of the day, then the water in her body. That had to be enough. But would it? He had never done anything like this before, had never tried and stretched his Quirk like this, so would it actually work? He didn't know but he knew that if he couldn't, this would be over before it really began.

Even as she realized who exactly it was that she would be facing, Hanami's confidence wasn't shaken. She would do fine, she could do this. Already a plan was forming. If she could repel him once, then right again afterwards, she would be able to knock him over the line all the while not having to waste time by touching him. She didn't think it was the best if plans but it was overall fairly solid. There wasn't any water that he could use against her, but she wasn't ruling out that. Akio Saito was more resourceful than he wanted others to realize. She steadied herself. Whatever happened, she was proud to make it this far and hoped her skills had been recognized by the people that mattered. As Midnight called for the match to begin, she jerked her glove off, raising her hand.

Akio had only seconds to react, really less than that. He threw up one of his own hands, defensive as he used her own body against her. It was the strangest sensation, using water like this; he didn't think he liked it, but it had its advantages. Like sending her over the out line. She stared up in surprise, which he knew was reflecting on his own face. Had he just...won? He blinked, startled.

"Shit," Hanami murmured as they called it. Over, just like that. She was disappointed in herself, yet as she picked herself off the ground, she had to admit she was impressed. He had used the natural water in her body; she wouldn't have thought of that. Brushing off her pants as she stood, she walked over to him, surprised by his surprise. Had he not really thought that would work? "Good job," she said, smiling to show she had no hard feelings. At least now, she would throw her cheering behind Hikari and Yukiko. Surely one of her girls could make it.

Akio blinked, still trying to wrap his mind around this, then nodded. "Thanks," he murmured. "You too."

* * *

Keoko stretched, pulling the scarf loosely across her shoulders as she waited for the call to start. She grinned, holding the two wooden balls she was allowed to take in. This would definitely give her an edge. Plus she knew his quirk. He was a big bad wolf. Ah man and she couldn't get a red cape in here. It was so disappointing. She loved that fairy tale. It would have been so funny.

Narruk stared at his opponent. She was...tiny...he had seen her hanging out with Aokuma once in the lunchroom, but now that she stood so close he realized how short she was. What was her quirk? She had controlled the flags back in the second event that morning. Maybe she had invisible hands or ropes to hold onto them. That scarf was weird.

Midnight raised her whip. "Ready and go!"

Keoko whipped her scarf out, activating her quirk. She needed to use his own power against him. He was big and bulky and she'd use that against him. It would be like fighting Akio. She released the wooden balls, watching them weave and swerve towards Mondronen. She ran towards him, throwing the scarf out to the side.

Narruk fisted his hands, growling as he straightened, suddenly growing taller as fur rippled across his body. Before Shimizu could reach him he had fully turned into his werewolf state, his PE shirt ripping into shreds. He jumped over the wooden balls lunging at her. He just needed to knock her over the line.

Keoko dropped suddenly, sliding between his legs. Her scarf reached out, grabbing one and tugged on it, throwing him off his lunge. She jumped to her feet again, unwrapping throwing the scarf at his other leg letting it wrap around it as well.

Narruk growled, dropping to all fours as he struggled with the scarf pulling his hind legs together. This was an inconvenience. But she couldn't force him over the line, not with his sheer strength versus hers. He lunged at her.

Keoko yelped, rolling the balls underneath his feet, throwing him to the ground. She moved around him, grabbing her scarf and yanking it towards her. It was so hard to move, but she wouldn't give up. She tugged, pulling him closer to the edge. Too bad she couldn't push like Kinoshita or Akio evidently. Blood ran down her nose, her quirk pushed to it's breaking point.

Narruk's eyes widened and he fought against the pull. He had underestimated her. Growling he dug his claws into the concrete. He halted her progress, pulling back against her hold, clawing his way to the center dodging the wooden balls rolling around him. Reaching back he grabbed the scarf.

All of a sudden Mondronen returned to human form, Keoko's eyes widened and she moved to tighten her scarf. Not fast enough. He slipped out with superhuman speed. Still holding onto her scarf he swung her hard, throwing her, by her hold on her scarf. A cry of surprise left her lips as she was hurled out of the ring, hitting the ground hard and rolling several paces.

Narruk stood up, glad they had approved his specialized pants. His uniform had been shredded. He winced, he hadn't meant to throw her so hard. Was she alright? He couldn't gage his strength when he first switched back.

"Winner is Mondronen!" Midnight's whip fell.

Keoko pushed herself off the ground, smiling sheepishly to hide the pain from the fall. She wiped the blood off her nose from her quirk, noticing that it was also coming from a cut on her forehead. She waved at the crowd to let them know she was alright.

"That was a great match Mondronen! I had no idea you were so strong!" Keoko smiled.

"Yeah, sorry about that throw…" Narruk ran a hand through his hair.

"Don't be, you won fair and square!" Keoko said. "I'm a damsel but not in distress!"

Narruk grinned, "Got it."

* * *

"Hi guys," Keoko waved as she came to sit down with the others. "Well, I guess I don't make it to the next round, but I'm pretty happy coming this far! You'll do great Akari and Eizen."

Reaching over, Akari embraced her tightly. "You did great. We're all so proud."

"Thanks guys," Keoko said, returning the hug.

"How's your forehead?" Eizen asked quietly from Akari's other side, dark eyes worried.

"Great, I have a bandaid," Keoko pointed to the bandage.

Akio inspected it then nodded his approval.

"We were all worried about you," Akari said, giving Eizen a look. He ignored it.

"It was just a surprise, I should have expected that he might do something like that," Keoko said. "I'm okay now!"

"We'll have the best cheerleader," Akari said with a smile. She knew they would.

"You know it!" Keoko grinned.

"We'll do our best out there," Eizen said seriously. Her getting out was more motivation for him and the others to advance.

"Good," Keoko nodded.

Glancing at her briefly, Eizen turned his gaze away after a moment, then released a tight breath he hadn't been aware of holding. At least she was alright. That was all that mattered.

* * *

 **So some character conversations and two "new" Pro Heroes...well one isn't technically** **new. But how do you like our boi Deku's ranking? What do you think of the Number One? Any speculations about why there are these rankings and what that mysterious conversation was between Midoriya and Aizawa?**

 **Just two 1x1 battles...pretty quick at that...but its the first round so they'll get more advanced and lengthy as we go on! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


	23. Chapter 21

_Reviews with Alumni and Loki:_

gold crown dragon: We'll get that one day, I'm sure!

61394: Speaking of Kamin…

Attackin: Thank you! Hopefully you'll like this round of fights as well.

Starblitz1312: We think you'll really enjoy this chapter.

ChillyIce: We should be getting more parental interaction over the next few chapters but we're glad you liked what we had and the fights. Hopefully this chapter makes up for it in length.

Supreme Kai of Booty: We've all been there but we definitely appreciate you trying again. We love hearing your thoughts. You're just going to have to read to find out...because spoilers! But whatever you don't see here...well, that's not to say it won't happen eventually *shrugs innocently* But yesssssss…Deku is best boi

Ajwin11: We just appreciate hearing from you, whatever way you do it! We're glad you still enjoyed the fight. Yeah, that was very fun to write (Probably one of Loki's favorites) so we're pleased to hear that you had such fun reading it. Yep, back to the action with this chapter. We definitely think he'll get there...precious boy deserves that number 1 ranking. There was some discussion about that first fight, (Loki stressed herself out about it), but you're right about it being the point. But thank you! Hope you enjoy the chapters to come.

Chester A Bum: Haha, thanks so much! Always good to have such flattery.

Money D Critic: We're thrilled to hear that you've been enjoying the Festival. We completely believe that Class B is on par with Class A and wanted to acknowledge that about them. Yep, the fights do get longer, as you can tell. Deku is...well Deku... after all so we figured that was pretty reasonable. Oh, that's an idea! We'll see how things play out- one never knows! We really appreciate the kind words and loved hearing from you!

* * *

Pulling her hair back into a ponytail, then adjusting the goggles on top of her head, Kaori dropped her hands, a picture of casualness as she looked around, gaze scanning the crowd for several moments before landing on her opponent. Fuyuki Moto...the other girl was determined and that determination would get her far, but only so far. She was driven by emotion and that would be her mistake today, but she did foresee a good match.

Fuyuki stood her ground, taking a deep breath. After barely making it into these final rounds she had no intention of giving up any ground. Not even to the best girl in the class. Sure Tsukinose was powerful, but she had a limit. Surely. Surely there was some way to beat her. Their quirks weren't offensive like Akio Saito and Kinoshita. With her smoke, she could keep a screen on her movements. She just had to create enough to move without her smoke giving away her patterns.

Placing her goggles on, and letting her vision quickly adjust to them, Kaori waited for the call. She wouldn't go easy on her. There was no point in something like that; she respected the other girl too much for that. She shifted her weight slightly, making sure it was even between her feet.

She would show the world that Fuyuki Moto was not her mother, Fuykumi Moto, otherwise known as the disgraced Hero Fume. She was different. She would be a hero, not a killer like her mother and so much more.

"Go!" Midnight brought her whip down.

Instantly Fuyuki brought her smoke up. Even with those goggles, Tsukinose wouldn't be able to see her. They were meant to see in the dark, which would be helpful if the dark wasn't created by a haze of smoke. Plus, she didn't have a mask to cover her mouth at all.

Keeping her breaths swallow, Kaori waited, the goggles helping her see through the thick smoke. She kept her place, biding her time. She wanted to see exactly what Moto was capable of.

Smoke covered her, but not enough. She needed more. Her skin stung, reminding her of the smoke's source. Herself. But she was more than willing to burn herself to save others, unlike her mother. Fuyuki evened her breaths, clearing the smoke around her face and spreading out the cloud until it filled the space she needed it to. Slowly she advanced, waiting for Tsukinose.

She might not see her well, but she could hear her. Kaori waited for another moment, then lashed out, catching the other girl in the shoulder with a well placed kick.

"Got you," Fuyuki smiled. Once Tsukinose entered, it would be hard to leave. She stumbled back, pain bursting along her shoulder, but she gritted her teeth and pushed through it. Smoke swirled around them. She knew where Tsukinose was. Maneuvering her smoke she attacked, hitting Tsukinose in the legs.

Of course she did. Kaori dropped, then rolled, lashing back and aiming another kick, this time at the pressure point in her upper thigh.

Fuyuki jumped out of the way, feeling Kaori's movements through the smoke. She struck Kaori in the back twice, before fading into the smoke.

Coughing, Kaori took a moment to recover, then straightened, waiting and listening again.

Fuyuki moved through the smoke, swirling it around them. She attacked again, faking left then going in right, keeping the smoke dense around Kaori, but light enough around her head she wouldn't choke her. Just enough to see her movements.

Kaori took every blow, delivering what she could. She barely left her designated area, knowing that if she did, Moto would have more of an upper hand then she did.

Fuyuki sighed, she needed to work Tsukinose over the line. That or knock her out. A simple task with her smoke, but the same tactic her mother had used to kill a villain and injure her sidekick for life.

She knew what Moto was trying to do, but Kaori refused to give any ground. That would be a mistake and a silly one at that.

Fuyuki stepped back, swirling the smoke around her. She stepped out of the smoke, keeping it around Tsukinose.

Touching her goggles briefly, Kaori shifted them to another setting, which allowed her to see better through the thickening smoke. She had planned for several different possibilities.

Sensing her every movement through the smoke, Fuyuki moved it around Tsukinose as she shifted. She walked backwards, careful to stay in bounds.

The smoke thickening more by the moment, Kaori let herself be led. She didn't have another choice, so she did what she had to.

Fuyuki pushed her forwards, thickening the smoke behind her so she had no choice but to walk forward. Both to see and to breathe. She refrained from keeping it too thick though. She wouldn't become her mother.

* * *

" _Hey look, it's the Murderer's Kid!"_

" _Careful, she might kill you with her scary smoke, just like her mom Fume killed that poor villain."_

" _Did you know that he was just trying to get money to help his terminally ill wife get medicine? Boy was Fume a monster."_

 _Fuyuki pulled her hood up, trying to block out almost every conversation going around school. It wasn't just the bullies. It was everyone. Everyone teasing her about her mother. She ran the rest of the way home. At least there weren't all those mean people, giving her pitying looks or whispering about her mother. She could find a haven in her room._

" _You are a monster!"_

 _Fuyuki's eyes widened as she started to shut the door. That was her dad speaking...what was going on? She pushed the door closed quietly, listening closely._

" _Are you even trying to convince everyone what happened was a mistake? You won't talk to me! You won't talk to your daughter. You won't talk to anyone. You just sit there and drink all day! All you are doing is confirming everyone's beliefs that you are a murderer!"_

" _Dad? Mom?"_

" _Fuyuki go to your room," her father snapped slightly._

 _Fuyuki hurried to obey, staring at the bottles surrounding the slumped form of her mother. She quickly ran to her room, her mother's listless gaze haunting her._

* * *

Kaori's eyes flickered behind her goggles, but that was all her reaction. She hadn't changed her mind about what she had thought of Moto before. Emotions guided he far too much, rather she was aware of it or not.

Fuyuki continued pushing Kaori through the smoke, just a few more steps. She was moments from winning this. Determination pushed her forward. She would win.

Realizing where she was almost to, a ghost of a smile flashed across Kaori's face. She was ready to finish this.

Fuyuki advanced forward, pushing her smoke ever onward. Her skin stung, burning under the strain of keeping so much smoke in the air.

Kaori pulled of her goggles, then stood still. Her eyes were stinging, but she only had to do this for a few moments, if that.

"Come on," Fuyuki murmured under her breath. Her mind was racing. She couldn't even think of anything taunting to say to Tsukinose, something she usually did when facing another student.

Kaori took one more step back, then suddenly she switched their positions, pulling her goggles back on after she did so.

Fuyuki had just stepped forward, ready to push her over when all of a sudden she was in her own smoke. No! She had thought she had kept the cover close enough to blind Tsukinose! She stopped herself from stepping forward, pulling her smoke away so she could see. Where was Tsukinose? She felt a hand on her back and a shove. Before she could stop herself she stumbled forward. Her smoke cleared, returning to her skin, the area around her coming to light.

She was over the line. She vaguely heard Midnight's voice calling the match a loss for her as the whip cracked. Fuyuki stood there, frozen and unsure of what to do. She had just lost. Arrogance had taken over and she had let herself think she had won before it was over. And now it was and she was on the wrong side of the line.

Pulling her goggles off again, Kaori stepped to her side, nodding her head. It had been a good match. "Well done Moto."

Fuyuki blinked, reality crashing down around her again. "Thanks," she said softly. "You deserved it." She looked up at the crowds, wondering what they were saying about her.

Kaori nodded, agreeing there, then lapsed into silence for a moment. "You're not your mother," she offered finally.

Fuyuki turned, looking at Tsukinose thoughtfully. "Thank you, that means a lot."

Kaori nodded, then turned away. That was really all she felt like saying. It was time to prepare for the next round.

Fuyuki walked back towards the others, mulling over the fight and wondering if she could have done better. That was a stupid question, of course she could have done better. But, it felt better to have lost to the best student in their class than someone like Rokuro Saito. She walked up the stairs to the small section reserved for everyone that had finished or was watching.

"Fuyuki!" Reine jumped up as she saw the girl. "My goodness were you amazing! The strategy you used, I would have never thought of anything like that! You did so good we are all proud of you! You really hold your own against Tsukinose! So amazing! It really looked like you were a Pro Hero out there!"

"You did well," Hinata said, wrapping an arm around Fuyuki's shoulder. "That was pretty cool, you did yourself proud out there. We're all proud of you. Sutoi too, he would be here except for the fact he's preparing for his fight."

Fuyuki smiled, wiping away a tear before it could be seen. She had just lost and they were acting like she had won or something. No one had been proud of her like this before. Maybe losing wasn't such a bad thing, she had her friends after all.

* * *

He had really hoped he wasn't up against Kaori Tsukinose, but to be honest this was just as bad. Genjiro Katou glanced across the way at his assigned opponent, his Class Rep. Hikari Raji. Sweating he fidgeted while he waited for the signal to begin. How was he going to play this? He didn't even know how their quirks would react to each other. How was the energy from her quirk going to react and release?

Of all the people Hikari had been expecting, Genjiro Katou had not been one of them though he should have been. Their quirks would be interesting combination and she thought the decision to have them go against one another made sense, however she really didn't know how it would go down.

"Begin!"

Genjiro stood there. Raiji had to begin this because he had to have energy to absorb in order to use it. He hopped back and forth nervously, watching her horns for the burst of lightning that could happen at any time.

Hikari considered her options for a moment, then decided on drawing one her smaller charges. She wanted to see how he took her energy before doing anything more than that. She had to be careful. He was both her perfect equal and opposite in all the ways that mattered here.

Genjiro jumped as the bolt hit him, his skin soaking in the energy like a sponge. This was a strange sensation. He focused his attention, releasing the energy again. Lightning, though it had changed color, snaked back out, blasting towards Raiji and hitting close to her feet.

Hikari dodged quickly, taking several steps backwards in order to keep from being hit. This was very interested. She had never seen his quirk up close like this and wondered if he had any places that didn't absorb energy. Surely he had a weak spot. However, until she figured that out, she wouldn't use anything bigger than what she had just done.

Alright, that was good, she stepped backwards. Genjiro hopped forward closing the distance. Now what. They could very possibly just stand here all day throwing lightning and redispersed lightning back at each other and do nothing. He had to think of something. Maybe he could lightly push her over the line?

What could she do? Hikari didn't want to continue this the whole day, but what if they didn't have a choice? Frowning slightly, she sent another light charge at him, aiming elsewhere. She needed to see if all his body absorbed.

Genjiro absorbed it, but this time kept it. He walked towards her, wondering if he could absorb one of her larger lightning strikes.

Interesting. Hikari began circling him, putting distance between them yet making sure she kept herself within bounds. She definitely didn't want to test one of the larger ones on him than.

"Alright," Genjiro took a deep breath. How was he going to play this? Their quirks were a stalemate.

How could she work this? Hikari had never once considered she would be in a situation like this, though looking back, she thought herself rather foolish for not. Taking a deep breath, she squared her shoulders. How much could he absorb all at once?

Genjiro bounced from foot to foot, edging closer to the line. It was an offer she couldn't pass up right? If she used her stronger lightning blasts he'd be able to absorb and reuse it.

He knew what he was doing but so did she. Hikari pressed her lips together, in a tight line. She wouldn't do would get her nowhere. Frowning, just slightly, she kept circling were her options? She was beginning to realize how little she actually had.

Genjiro held his breath, waiting for her response. It was the only way one of them was going to walk out of here.

She had to do something. If she didn't, this would go on forever. Very well. She would do what he wanted, but on her own terms. Hikari called up one her of her smaller charges again,then fired it at him.

Genjiro absorbed it, sending it back to crash at her feet. This was taking forever, he glanced at Midnight, wondering if they called matches.

Hikari avoided it, then circled him again, trying to figure out what she could actually do. She couldn't get close enough to physically do anything to him so it would have to be her Quirk. Could she overwhelm him with electricity?

Genjiro hesitated, glancing at Hikari again. This was...a crazy idea...and it might hurt...but it could work…

The look on his face had Hikari pausing. He had an idea, that was clear, but what? She wasn't sure. What was it that she was missing?

Taking a deep breath he ran towards her. He was only a bit taller than her but maybe she would fire some blasts. The energy would do him good for running perhaps.

Hikari threw herself to the ground, rolling away from him. That was it but surely there was more to it. Unable to shake the feeling she was indeed missing something, she kept out of his way, determined to put as much distance between them as she could.

Genjiro chased her around, trying to catch her. They weren't close to the edge so there was no danger of accidentally tripping over bounds.

"WHAT'S THIS FOLKS?" Present Mic's voice reverberated across the stadium. "IT LOOKS LIKE KATOU IS CHASING RAIJI. THIS STALEMATE HAS JUST BECOME SUPER INTERESTING!"

Suddenly, it clicked into place for Hikari and her eyes widened. He was going to take her over the line, one way or another. But she couldn't let him do that. Biting her lip, she kept running. If she didn't attack him, perhaps she could get this in her favor.

Genjiro lunged forward grabbing her around the waist. Unsure what to do, he bent and grabbed her legs quickly.

"NOW KATOU IS HOLDING RAIJI BRIDAL STYLE!" Present Mic screamed.

Flustered now, Hikari struggled wildly, hitting what she could. But he was using his height against her, and the six inch difference between them was even more apparent than ever when she realized that she was now trapped.

Running straight, Genjiro struggled to keep his hold on her having lost control of her legs.. He wasn't sure which one of them would cross the line first at this point.

Kicking out her feet, her hands and arms being effectively using, Hikari's eyes widened as she caught something with the toes of one. Had she…? Crap, she had. She hadn't meant to kick him there.

Genjiro yelped, instantly letting go of her and dropping to the ground himself, curling into a ball. Pain spiked around the area she had kicked and he groaned.

Breath knocked from her lungs, it took a moment but Hikari scrambled to her feet, uncaring when the match was called. "I am so sorry," she said, instantly feeling guilty.

"It's okay," Genjiro hissed between his teeth, not picking his head up. "I'm fine," he groaned.

Not sure what to do, Hikari simply stared at him. She really hoped he wasn't too badly hurt but she had no idea how to go about comforting him. Comfort wasn't her strongest, or easiest, point.

"LUCKY SHOT!" Present Mic's voice continued. "BUT UNLUCKY FOR RAIJI AS SHE HITS THE DIRT RIGHT OVER THE LINE!"

"Lucky shot indeed," Genjiro rolled over, laying on his back.

"Um...you were very creative," Hikari offered as she brushed away some of the dirt from her shirt. "That was a very strategic move." She was frustrated with herself for not being able to come up with a plan, but she tried not to let herself linger on what if possabilities.

"I think that was just a desperate plan," Genjiro said. "I wasn't even sure it would work."

"But it did," Hikari pointed out. She had to admire how quickly he had managed to think on his feet.

"I feel like that won't happen again," Genjiro noted.

"Probably not," Hikari agreed. Somehow, she would do better, wouldn't let herself be taken off guard again.

"We'll have to work on that," Genjiro said, wondering if he could stand up now.

Hikari nodded, then stood, offering him a hand. "I have to do better."

"Me too," Genjiro nodded, taking her hand and getting up gingerly.

"You deserved this win," Hikari said honestly. He actually found a way to finish their match. She couldn't stop overthinking.

"Thanks," Genjiro rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't think I did but...thanks."

Hikari frowned slightly. "Why not? You showed your clear superiority in flexible strategies."

"It wasn't exactly thought out or wise," Genjiro said.

Hikari shrugged. "No, but it was something."

"I guess," Genjiro said. "Thanks for the match!"

"Next time," Hikari promised. Next time, she would do better, next time she would win. She would learn from her mistakes and do much better. She had to.

"Next time," Genjiro nodded.

* * *

Rin sighed, just his luck to get Masami Ikeda. Not only did she know about his quirk, but she was also almost on par with Kaori. On the plus side he did know her quirk. As long as he kept his eyes averted he was safe. All he had to do was knock her out. He didn't like fighting, so this was his choice. He would use his quirk to drain her of energy long enough for her to pass out.

Masami Ikeda looked thoughtfully across the concrete fighting ring at her opponent. This was strange, switching strategies. No longer was he a friend, he was her foe. They both knew each other's quirks and how they worked. This would be a matter of strategy for her, avoiding Nakamaru's superior usage of his quirk.

Midnight glanced at the two, this would be an interesting fight. She raised her whip, before bringing it down with a crack. "Begin!"

Rin shut his eyes, bringing his left arm up, silver light pulsing down it. It reached out, snatching at the area Ikeda had been moments before. Swirling his light around he stepped carefully in a circle, listening for her attack. He wouldn't risk getting hit by her quirk. It had been awful, the last time he had experienced it and he didn't want to ever again.

Smart, he was keeping his eyes closed. That prevented her from hitting him with her quirk. But there was one other way. Classes at U.A. had been helping her to hone this. She was able to affect all five senses with her quirk. So far she had mastered Sight and had been working on Touch. The others were more tricky, requiring some unique ways of influencing them. She needed to touch Nakamaru to throw off his equilibrium with her Quirk, Vertigo.

Five steps south, three steps to the east. Rin kept his breathing even and slow so he could hear around him. He lashed out, his silver light whipping through the air, missing her by inches. He pulled it back again, keeping his eyes closed as she moved.

He was quick, it would take a lot of effort to get close enough to touch him without having her energy drained. Masami ran quickly, moving back and forth like one would when being fired upon. That should confuse him a bit. She dodged as another blast of silver light hit the ground, inches away from her feet. Or not, he seemed to be keeping track of her movements and she couldn't get close to him.

Rin followed her movements, lashing out with his quirk keeping up. He needed to hit her, the match couldn't go on forever. His light grazed her ankle as she jumped out of his way and he moved it again, following her and draining her energy.

Masami fell back with a gasp, stumbling away from him. Her head ached as she looked back up at him. Fatigue dragged against her willpower. So this was what it was like getting hit by his quirk? It had only been two seconds and she felt like she needed to lie down. Forcing herself to straighten she proceeded with more caution. That had cost her a lot, and if she was hit again it would be over.

Rin felt the inflow of energy, it pumped through his veins joining the other extra energy he hadn't gotten rid of when he had stabbed himself. He would have to be careful. After this match he needed to go heal Shimizu and Moto. That would help, along with restoring Masami's energy. He refocused his mind, now was not the time to get distracted.

That was it, a moment's hesitation when his mind wasn't totally in the game. Masami ran forward, towards his left side. Her movements felt sluggish, but this was her window of opportunity. She dashed forward, hitting his shoulder with her open palm.

Rin opened his eyes feeling sick instantly. The world tilted underneath him and he staggered sideways. What? He hadn't even looked into her eyes and she had used her quirk on him. This was unexpected and bad.

Masami stepped back, manipulating the world going on around Nakamaru. The tilting weaving kaleidoscope feel to one's surroundings. She needed to get him on the ground or out of bounds. He was close enough in size, she might be able to knock him out. Though she still had to keep her guard up. He still had his quirk.

Rin staggered a step, his stomach heaving. This was bad, this was really really bad. He couldn't keep his eyes focused. His surroundings were tipping sideways before jerking off to one side then spinning around again. She'd touched him and used her quirk. What did that mean? Was her quirk related to contact in general, whether eyesight or touch? Great this wasn't good, he was panicking. He needed to keep on his feet and beware of crossing over the bounds. Which was extremely difficult considering he couldn't tell which way was up. What was he supposed to do now?

 _Move your draining light. You still have the advantage, use your head and think don't panic. A Tatsugami is cool and collected, that's why we've outsmarted Heroes and Vigilantes alike. Fight, like I've taught you._

Rin felt like throwing up as a voice from his memory lashed out at him. No, he wasn't going to fight, not unless it was necessary. He was going to use his own wits to get him out of this situation.

Masami moved again from behind and towards his left side. She needed to hit him and knock him down to win evidently. Fisting a hand she sighed, she really didn't like getting physical but there wasn't much of a choice. Even in this weakened state he wasn't doing anything but staggering in a circle, a force of will keeping him away from the edges of the fight.

Footsteps. Rin forced down his nausea. Before Ikeda could react, he had lunged in her direction. Vertigo didn't affect sound itself and while he felt like shit and it was affecting his performance, he still managed to grab her around the waist.

Masami yelped in surprise. Rats! She hadn't planned for this, a bad miscalculation. She struggled to get free before he could...

He activated his quirk, silver light pulsing down his arm and her own energy swirling up into his body. He hit the ground with her, then pushed himself up as the world slowed to a slow spin.

"Nakamura wins!" Midnight announced.

* * *

This Sports Festival was amazing, just one big fight after another, despite Kōmori's insistence that it was a battle of wits, they had won second place in the last round. This was a battle of strength of the quirk. But it looked like he was up against a class b girl. She was real little, and he didn't want to hurt her. Maybe he could do Katou's way and carry her over the line. Without that kick to the…groin.

Kamin waved a royal blue paw towards the audience, knowing her classmates were somewhere up there. She could hear the 'awws' rippling through the crowd. She was voted class cutest after all. She could smell onigiri. After this she was going to have to stop by one of the food stalls.

"CROWD FAVORITES WITH THESE TWO!" Present Mic announced. "SOME OF U.A.'S TOUGHEST HARD HITTERS! LET'S SEE WHO TAKES THIS FIGHT!"

Haruto nodded, she was going to be tough. But he wasn't stupid. He needed to get her out fast. She was equal in strength so he didn't need to worry about hurting her. Despite what some in the class believed, he was smart. He was going to become the next biggest aquatic hero!

"Begin!"

Kamin yelped in surprise as Hanko jumped towards her. He was fast! She grinned, taking off towards him as well. She didn't mind playing like this.

Haruto yelled, putting his full force behind the punch. Hopefully he would knock her out in one go.

Their fists met.

Kamin stumbled back, the force of their blows knocking her off her feet. Dust whirled around them. She blinked, rubbing her eyes, the grit making them sting. Ugh, she hated the smell of dust, it made her sneeze.

" LADIES AND GENTLEMEN JUST ONE BLOW DECIDED THE MATCH AND MAN WAS THAT ONE PUNCH! HANKO IS DOWN FOR THE COUNT AND OUT OF THE RING. AOKUMA IS THE WINNER!"

Wow, she really was the winner. Kamin blinked, pushing herself to her feet. That had actually worked? Oh dear had she hurt the other kid? She ran off to where some of the medics were propping him up and patting his face.

"I'm so sorry," she apologized. "I didn't mean to hit you so hard. Can I do anything?"

Haruto stood up, dazed from the blow. One of the medics nudged him to wave to the crowd to signal he was alright. "I'm fine," he replied, squaring his shoulders.

"Oh good," Kamin breathed. "Good match."

"Yeah, good match," Haruto rubbed his scales. "Uh...you are pretty strong...let's spar sometimes."

"Alright," Kamin smiled.

* * *

Of all the ones Sutoi had been hoping to go against, Akari Seishin had not been one of them. It wasn't like she wasn't going to be a good opponent or anything but that but he had heard what she had done in the last group battle and while he knew his own Quirk was pretty limitless, he could do nothing against something like hers. He took a deep breath, then released it. He would do his best, put up a good fight, which he would. He wouldn't go down easily. Biting his lip, he watched her. She was undeniably cute but not nearly as much as Hinata of course; as soon as he realized what he was thinking, he flushed, ducking his head. He wasn't going to let things like that distract him.

Akari was nervous despite herself. This was much different then the last round. She had had a team that she could rely on, that she knew had her back but now she was alone. She supposed this would be good practice for her when she was a Pro. She exhaled softly, then straightened. She would do her best and hoped she could make her family and friends proud.

"And begin!" Midnight said and with a snap of her wrist, her whip indicated the beginning of the fight.

Knowing he had to act fast, Sutoi quickly formed his wings, flying above her to give himself some distance. Did she have to make eye contact? He didn't really know how it worked. He wished he had thought to do some research on her or something before this but it was too late now.

Akari watched him carefully, making sure she appeared to be concerned about his actions. In reality, she was working on planting a careful image in his mind. She wasn't sure if this would work the way she wanted it to, but she was willing to give it her best shot.

Keeping to the sky, Sutoi formed a ball of light around his hand, aiming it then throwing the ball at her shoulder. She staggered backwards, and he hoped he hadn't hurt her that much. He made another one, aiming for her again. This time, he targeted her other shoulder, not wanting to hit the same place twice.

So far, he hadn't noticed anything, but Akari wasn't going to get too confident in her hand. Arrogance and too much pride could change things instantly. But what would happen if this didn't work? She couldn't keep from wondering that again. But knowing how useless this was, she focused by taking a deep breath, pushing past her uncertainty. She could do this. So she did.

Sutoi inhaled sharply, eyes widening as he stared at the seven, no, eight, Seishins. They all flicked and blurred, running together so fast then separating that he wasn't sure where the original one was now. They all looked alike, all identical images of one another, and he wasn't sure what to do. Attack them all? He didn't have any other choices.

He was doing just what Akari had hoped he would. Distracted with all the images that she had planted of herself, he hadn't noticed what she had been doing with the boundary. It was subtle, the smallest of actions as she had made it to appear further from him than it actually was. She just needed to get him down on the ground, but she had no idea as to how...but no! She didn't have to get him out of the air!

There were even more, multiplying by the moment. Sutoi was quickly getting overwhelmed. Everytime he made one flicker out of existence, there was another in its place. Where was the real one? There were too many for him to figure it out. He kept firing, shooting balls of light. Where was she, where was- suddenly, his surroundings blurred and he found himself staring up at a roaring crowd as Midnight called the match over. What...how..? He drew to the ground, staring back at where he had just come. She had moved the line...and he had actually never faced her.

Panting, Akari rested her hands on her knees, barely able to think. How had this...she had won. She had really won. Torn between laughing and crying, it had worked, it had _worked_ , she simply stared out at the crowd, certain she heard Keoko's cheering. She had really won. She couldn't believe it.

Though he was disappointed that he had lost, Sutoi had to admit that he was glad at how it had worked out. He felt sure he had made a good impression. "You did really good, Sheshin," he said with a smile, dipping his head. She would make a great Pro one day. He had no doubt of that.

"Thanks," Akari said breathlessly as she straightened. She felt tears sting her eyes and she brushed them away, trembling with the release of adrenaline. "Thank you so much."

* * *

Of all the people he could have been against. Rokuro stared across the ring at his brother. This was the best opportunity to show how much stronger he was. He had been practicing a move and was ready. "Bring it on," he said, cracking his knuckles. "I'm ready for you."

This was a nightmare. He didn't want this; he was certain that this would make things worse for them. Going against his brother...that was a match he had wanted to avoid at all costs, right up there with Keoko. Pressing his lips together in a tight line, Eizen didn't reply. At least one of them was.

"ANOTHER REAL TREAT THIS TIME!" Present Mic's voice rambled on. "PREPARE FOR TROUBLE AND MAKE IT DOUBLE, THE ONE AND ONLY SAITO TWINS!"

"And begin!" Midnight's whip cracked.

Eizen took a deep breath, then another, forcing himself to relax. He would wait, see what his brother could do then go from there. A part of him wanted to purposefully lose, but he knew if his twin ever found out, he would hate him worse than if he won. He didn't know what to do.

Rokuro activated his quirk, drawing on all his anger. He growled, running forward to attack Eizen before he could react.

Eizen instantly drew his own power up, blocking his brother's attack, before taking several steps backwards in order to put some distance between them. Blue still clung to his hands as he readied himself for more.

The concrete beneath them cracked and gave way as Rokuro's anger poured out, striking the ground as he attacked Eizen again. This would make their father acknowledge his strength. He would defeat his brother on live television!

Blue energy weaving up his lower arms, Eizen dodged to the side, avoiding being caught up in his brother's attack. Heaviness weighed upon his shoulders, but he did his best to ignore it, focusing instead on what was going on presently.

"Come on, fight me!" Rokuro snapped. Why was Eizen just avoiding him? Did Eizen think he was so much above him that he didn't even have to act like this was a fight? He attacked again, tearing up the grounds. Chunks of concrete flew by, dust choking the air around them.

Coughing, Eizen knew that he had to do something; but he didn't want to fight his brother, didn't want to risk hurting him. What choice did he have though? Resigning himself, he sent energy at him, the bursts quickly slicing through the air as they hit.

Rokuro grimaced sliding backwards at the impact. He slammed a foot behind him, sending rubble flying as he slowed himself before he could be pushed over the line. Bending he grabbed a handful of broken concrete, flinging it at Eizen.

Eizen destroyed the concrete, breaking it into smaller pieces, then fell to the side, aiming at his brother again as he coughed up more dust. It was quickly covering everything, including himself.

Rokuro ran through the dust, attacking from Eizen's left side. Damn the dust was thick. But he wasn't about to let this be his defeat. He would knock Eizen out of the ring, once and for all.

Eizen blocked, then retaliated with another blast. He kept them small, knowing that it would help him go further. His brother would continue this, no matter how long it took. He felt sick; he didn't need Rokuro to hate him more.

Rokuro blocked, "Is that all?" he shouted, knowing full well it wasn't.

Eizen didn't bother to reply, knowing better than to. He wasn't going to engage verbally, despite what he knew his brother was wanting. He bite the tip of his tongue, firing another shot of energy. He clung to his rising feelings of melancholy, though he made sure he kept them at bay the best he could. He couldn't let them overwhelm him.

Anger coursed through his veins, and the raw red energy fell off him in waves. Rokuro backed up, breathing hard as he lifted his hand. Time for the move he had been waiting for.

What was he doing? Eizen's eyes flickered, scanning his brother's face, trying to figure out what he was thinking. His unpredictability was what always made him predictable.

Rokuro yelled, punching the air, the force from his energy sending out a shockwave of red. From his fist a ball of red energy crackled and launched towards Eizen with an incredible speed.

His eyes widening slightly, Eizen moved, dodging to the side. The energy hit exactly where he had been standing, within seconds of him moving.

"What? I missed?" Rokuro grimaced. He roared, shooting off two more of the same projectiles, filled with rage.

Eizen managed to dodge the other two blows as well. Landing on his side, he rolled then got to his feet, blue energy snaking around his arms.

Rokuro growled, running towards him, another shot of energy forming between his fists. He'd have to get up close and personal.

Realizing what his brother was going to do, Eizen threw up his arms, crossing them and letting his own energy shield him from Rokuro's attack. He was beginning to find it hard to ignore his increasing melancholy. He should lose. His brother deserved this recognition, more than anything.

"Come on!" Rokuro shouted, banging a fist against the shield. "Give me a fight, dammit!"

Why didn't his brother understand that Eizen wasn't at all interested in doing that? There was nothing about this that appealed to him. It really would be better for them both if he just lost.

"GO EIZEN!" Keoko screamed at the top of her lungs from the stadium seats.

"EIZEN, EIZEN, EIZEN!" Akari's scream was followed by frantic cheering.

Eizen glanced up briefly, gaze quickly finding his three friends. The girls were taking turns screaming and cheering wildly, while Akio set silently beside them. However, if Eizen looked hard enough, he was sure there was a ghost of a smile on his lips. His friends...they were counting on him, supporting him, cheering him on in their own ways and he was struck with the sudden realization that he didn't want to let any of them down, or couldn't. Swallowing hard, he took a moment, then straightened, locking gazes with his brother.

"What the hell are you grinning about?" Rokuro made a face, firing another shot of energy. "Did you finally decide to fight?"

Still not engaging, he really didn't see the point, Eizen blocked his brother's blast, then shot out one of his own. His feelings concerning how his brother deserved this victory hadn't changed but his resolve was growing. He would make his friends proud.

"Hell yeah!" Rokuro shouted. He shot an energy blast out blocking Eizen's. At last he had chosen to fight. He ran at him, his energy leaking from his body, crushing the ground beneath them.

Even as the ground shook and trembled beneath him, Eizen didn't run, not this time. He threw his hands up, blue encasing them both, before he shot a blast at his brother. He could hear Keoko's cheering seemingly above all the rest.

Rokuro dodged, barely, his own energy lashing out in shockwaves. The angrier he got, the stronger. He would end this right here and now.

Eizen threw up a shield, letting his brother's energy blasts crash against it. He forced himself to push away thoughts of his friends, focusing instead on the sense of guilt that was becoming increasingly more apparent. He was stealing his brother's moment, overshadowing him again. Why couldn't he do anything right? No wonder his brother hated him because he did. Rokuro despised him and he deserved it.

Always shadowed over, his father lording over him the fact he wasn't as good as his older brothers. Rokuro threw another projectile, anger welling up in him as he prepared an even bigger shot. He needed this win more than anything.

He wanted to lose. The feeling came back, just as strongly as before if not even more so. His brother would be alright with him again, accept him again, if he just lost this damn fight. But Keoko's screams seemed to be getting louder, as if she somehow knew what he was considering to do. How could he let her down? But how could he let his brother down? Eizen didn't know what to do.

He wanted to win, more than ever now. Anger burned through his mind, numbing all other thoughts but this. He wasn't about to lose this fight, and he was going to win it fair and square. No room for anyone to look back and tell him he could have done something else, that he didn't deserve it. He used this rage, fueling an attack that would end this right here and now. With a roar he released a burst of red, sparking with anger at Eizen.

It would be easy, to drop his shield, and take the blast. All so easy and Rokuro would be happy and wasn't that what he really wanted, more than winning? Even as the thought crossed his mind, even as he started to do just that, his instincts refused to allow him. Blue sparked down his hands, up his arms again then a large blast burst from his hands, colliding with one from his brother. Dust exploded everywhere as did the concrete and he stared, blinking, and unsure what just happened.

"AND JUST LIKE THAT THIS EPIC BATTLE COMES TO AN EVEN GREATER CONCLUSION AS SAITO KNOCKS SAITO OUT OF THE RING WITH THAT BLAST! HAVE YOU EVER SEEN SUCH AN AMAZING DISPLAY OF POWER HERE FOLKS? AND ON THAT HIGH NOTE WE END OUR FIRST ROUNDS!"

* * *

 _Principal Nezu's Office_

The file finished downloading, the usb clicking as it unlatched itself from the computer. Leather gloved fingers closed the windows, leaving behind no trace of their presence. The computer lid shut, a white cloth neatly dusting the top. Quietly the door shut behind them, footsteps echoing down the abandoned hallway. Light flickered from a phone screen, numbers beeping faintly. A door closed behind the figure, the sound of an envelope being selected, then the usb port sliding down. The flap was neatly folded, a stamp placed near the edge. The line on the other end rang again, a click sounding as someone picked up.

"I have what you wanted," the figure said.

"All of the information?"

"Of course, I wouldn't be your son if I didn't."

"Good, our allies are depending on us, as much as we are depending on them."

"Everything about the speakers and even a little extra."

"What is that?"

"Maybe, just maybe, the guest list, VIP included, of the U.A.'s Charity Dinner just three days away…"

"Ah, the dear Principal had that in his computer?"

"Of course, some very big heroes are attending. Unfortunately not our Number One, or the up and coming Number 7. However, Number 8 is attending and of course the Number 9 since this is about the town he saved."

"I'll see you soon."

"Of course, Father. The information will be in your hands very soon."

The phone beeped as the person on the other end hung up. The figure exited the room, tucking the envelope away. His father would relay the information soon. After all, the Pied Piper was eager to get his name out there. This would be an alliance to never forget.

* * *

 **Some fights are long, some short, just like the anime. I will admit with our line up the second round is probably going to go pretty fast, but the next ones will definitely take up some more screen time, as well as some inserts from some of our favorites.**

 **What canon characters would you like to see? We've already seen our bois Deku and Shinsou, but who else? Give us a shout in the review on who you would like to see!**

 **Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Sorry it came out so late because SOMEONE (not naming names, but it was Alumni) kept falling asleep like a grandma every night.**


	24. Chapter 22

_Hofund ~ Preach it! We haven't forgotten you and we are touched you are defending Fuyuki's mom. Yup! More parent scenes coming up!_

 _ChillyIce ~ Yay! We really wanted to make each fight different. Hopefully you still feel the same way after this chapter, since we have characters going in for second, third, etc rounds._

 _Goldcrowndragon ~ Spooky. Yeah the password was probably the answer to one of those math equations with no answers._

 _Attackin ~ We are so glad you liked the fights! Yes we do feel like this is a Momo type situation for our Angry Boi Control Squad. Lol Monoma and Mineta, got it._

 _61394 ~ Bear punch was our favorite! Well...Haruto lets those hormones cloud his better judgement. He'll learn some things from this. Glad you liked the fights, there are many more in this chapter. Great suggestions!_

 _Supreme Kai of Booty ~ Happy….really….really late birthday...Hope you are better!_

 _Butterfly Chikage ~ Yay! Glad you like the fights as well. Yeah, just like canon some aren't very long (stares openly at Akio Saito) but we tried to throw some longer ones in there. It got hard when *clears throat* one of us played both characters while the other one laughed on the sidelines at our struggle. Oh well. Yes a charity dinner! It will include most the students and some parents! And…..lots of heroes._

* * *

 **So a confession. We started on these fights and somehow got confused about who lined up to fight who. So if things aren't exactly right...just ignore it please. Enjoy!**

* * *

The bang of woks filled the small restaurant tucked back in the corner of a shopping area. A bowl of spicy fried rice was sat down in front of a customer, too busy staring at the screen to realize his food had been delivered.

"One bowl of spicy fried pork and rice," the man said gruffly, banging the dish on the table as he sat it down.

"Oh, thanks," the customer nodded. "Sorry about that. The Sports Festival is really entertaining this year.

"It is every year," the man replied. "But I'll have to agree with you…"

"Hey, Haru, did I miss Genjiro's second match?" A regular customer entered the shop with a shout.

The man, Haru Katou, waved a hand at his regular. "No, it doesn't look like he'll be on till last. You have time for a bowl of ramen though."

"Alright, consider it done," the regular nodded.

The customer arched an eyebrow, looking up at the man, noticing that considering his appearances he was probably the owner and cook for the place.

"My nephew's there," Haru said gruffly, a hint of pride weaving into his rough voice. "Even made it to the finals, won a match."

"Congratulations," the man nodded.

"Yeah well, enjoy your meal," Haru turned away. He looked up at the screen as he entered the kitchen again.

"Go get 'em boy," he murmured.

* * *

He found his brother exactly where he thought he would be - hidden away from the crowds, taking a moment to simply enjoy the seclusion. Hitoshi couldn't blame him; sometimes people were just so loud and more than a little exhausting by the end of the day. He guessed that it was all finally getting to Akio, which was understandable. Watching him, he debated a moment, then went ahead and joined him, slipping silently to his side. It was weird, to have younger brother that was so much taller, but then again, it was odd to even consider the idea of a younger sibling, much less as many as he had now, up until a few years ago.

Several minutes passed then Akio released a deep breath then straightened. He couldn't hide away forever, no matter how much he wanted to. "Thanks," he said softly. His brother's silent support was appreciated.

Hitoshi nodded, glancing up at him. "Of course," he said, voice just as soft. "You'll do great out there."

AKio hoped he would, then followed that up with wondering where this sudden motivation to try to win came from. Perhaps, he realized, he wanted to show the world he was nothing like his father and everything like his mother and this was his attempt to do just that.

* * *

Staring at Mondronen, Akio suddenly, and vividly remembered the fight between his class and the other boy's. He still really wasn't sure how that started but he was glad that he had stayed out of it; it had been beyond pointless.

Narruk sized up the other boy. He was nearly as tall as him in wolf form. But even now he easily was a foot taller than his own six foot seven inches. He had seen how he had knocked his opponent earlier out, simply by raising a hand. He didn't know how he was going to beat that, except through speed. He could try to pull an Aokuma, punch his opponent out. The Saito was tall, but was he strong?

He had no doubt this would be over fast but how it would end, Akio didn't know. Mondronen was fierce, stronger than just about anyone else and that was what it would come down to- Akio's speed versus Mondronen's strength. He slowly exhaled then straightened. He was as ready as he ever would be.

Narruk jumped at the call to begin, instantly morphing as he bolted towards Saito's right side. He had to end this quickly or else he would be knocked out. The wolf emerged and he was charging towards Saito, swinging and running straight for his back.

Akio moved quickly, trying not to stumble, then threw up a hand, feeling the water in Mondroen's body. Would it be easier, seeing how big he was? Or harder? He had no idea, but just as it did before, the water called to him, reminding him it was there.

Narruk growled feeling a sudden push against his body. His claws dug into the concrete, tearing through it like soft butter as he resisted the push.

Akio kept steady, focusing intently. He was very aware that if he wasn't careful, he could well injure Mondroen and he didn't want to do that.

Narruk struggled, but the more he did the faster he was being pushed back. He held his ground for a few seconds, but went sliding out of the ring. He hadn't been fast enough. Sighing he morphed back into his human form, running a hand through his sweat soaked hair.

Surprise crossing Akio's expression as his earlier question was answered, he walked over to the other boy then offered him a hand.

"Thanks," Narruk took it, jumping to his feet. "Good match." he said, not sure what else to say. He didn't enjoy losing, but maybe Kamin would carry on Class B's standing in the games.

Akio nodded, dipping his head to show that he agreed. It had been a good match, interesting for certain.

"How'd you do it?" Narruk asked, rubbing his hands together to relieve the heat from tearing through concrete.

Akio blinked, then motioned at the other boy. He wasn't used to being questioned on something that seemed so natural to him. "The water in your body," he said simply.

"Oh," Narruk said. "So you're the Water Saito."

Akio nodded again. He was. Just like nearly everyone else in his family.

"Cool," Narruk nodded. "Well, hope to fight you again."

Akio nodded again; he thought he could learn from Mondroen. "I'm sure we'll have that chance sometime."

"Yeah," Narruk said gruffly. "We'll be stronger next time too."

* * *

"You can do it."

Keoko held the ends of her scarf which she had thrown over Eizen's head in an attempt to pull him closer to her so her words would reach his brain. Somehow he wasn't about to believe he could win another fight. True, it was Akari, but she also knew it would be just one more thing he would beat himself up over. That was, not trying his hardest. He really was stubborn. She'd had years to break Akio of this, but this was just the start of the second semester. Eizen needed to listen.

Eizen stared at her, not sure exactly how this had happened. He had known her for months now and she still surprised him. "Um, what?" he asked, not entirely sure what he had missed either.

"You can fight." Keoko put her hands on her hips, pulling him down even further.

Eizen stumbled. "I didn't say I couldn't," he muttered, trying to get his feet back under him. Sometimes he forgot how much shorter she was than him, but other times, it was impossible to.

"Don't try to get out of this," Keoko narrowed her eyes. "You think you can't fight Akari cause she is your friend and you want her to win. And before you wanted your brother to win because he deserved it because he worked hard. Well you've worked hard and you are Akari's friend but she's not just going to lose because of that."

A moment passed, in which Eizen opened his mouth to deny it, but he found he couldn't. "That's...I…" He struggled for a moment, though she was right. He didn't want to fight Akari, almost as much as he hadn't wanted to fight his brother. He still really didn't know how he had won that.

"And do you think it's fair to Akari after her hard work to just slack off in the fight?" Keoko continued, looking up at him with a fierce stare.

"Of course not," Eizen said quickly, shifting his weight slightly. That was a good point, which was making him feel bad about his earlier decision of actually losing.

"And it isn't fair to you," Keoko said firmly.

Eizen sighed softly after a moment. "It just doesn't feel right."

"Stop that!" Keoko shook the scarf, in turn shaking his head. "Just fight with everything you have alright, you want to be a Hero right?"

"Of course I do," Eizen said quickly. More than anything.

"Then act like it," Keoko said. "A Hero gives everything they have and more!"

Eizen stared at her for a moment, then nodded slowly, her words pounding in his head. "Alright," he said softly.

"Do you understand?" Keoko narrowed her eyes, trying to look as fierce as possible.

Eizen stared at her for a moment, then nodded slowly. "I think so," he said softly.

"Good," Keoko smiled.

Eizen returned the smile, however small. "Thanks," he said, voice still soft.

"You can go," Keoko took the scarf off.

Eizen straightened once she had finally freed him. He was beginning to understand why Akio said it seemed to have a mind of its own. "Either way, I'll see you after I'm done."

"Good," Keoko nodded. "Oh, and I'll know if you hold back. So don't even start thinking about it in the ring."

Eizen decided against asking her how she would know; he was very aware that Keoko just had a way of knowing things. "I won't," he swore.

"Alright," Keoko smiled at him. "Good luck!"

This time, Eizen managed an easier, and bigger, smile. Somehow, she lifted the burden off his shoulders, just a little.

* * *

Akari was more nervous than she had been her first match. Maybe she wouldn't be if she hadn't watched the match between him and Rokuro, but she had and now she was very aware of the intensity behind his quirk...and his speed! She couldn't say she was surprised by this, though she had never heard him mention it or seen it in action before now. With his twin's strength, and knowing the powerful quirks of both his other brother and their father, it only made sense. She had no doubt he would make one of the best Pros the world had ever seen. But none of this made her feel better about facing him; perhaps because she was very aware of the slim chances she had at winning. If he used his speed, she would be out within seconds and she knew how likely this would be.. But she would do her best and she couldn't say she would mind losing to Eizen; if anything, it would perhaps show Rokuro he needed to reevaluate how he viewed his brother.

Keoko's words echoing in his ears, Eizen took a deep breath, then another. She had been right. EVerything she had said was true and he didn't understand why it took her telling him for him to be able to admit. He wouldn't hold back, for both his respect for Akari and the little he had for his own self. He would do what he had to, and whatever happened would happen.

As soon as Midnight began counting down, Akari readied herself. She would have to be fast, but how? Perhaps if she did something similar to before, where Eizen wouldn't be able to figure out the real her. It would bide her some time to figure something else out as she couldn't use the same tricks twice. When "go" came from the Pro-Hero's mouth, she instantly raised her hand and-

"I hope I didn't hurt you," Eizen said softly, breathing hard and staring down at Akari, who looked at him, expression stunned. She wasn't the only one surprised; he hadn't even known what he was going to do until he had already slammed into her, using a burst of speed, and got her over the line. Still trying to catch his breath, he rolled off her and fell to his back.

"You didn't," Akari said quickly, then grinned as she set up. Sure she was disappointed that it had turned out like this, though she had figured it would, but that had been rather cool, if she did say so herself. Besides, Eizen was her best friend and she would rather lose to him, or any of the others, than anyone else. Standing, she reached down and offered him a hand. "Good job."

Offering her a small smile, Eizen accepted it then stood. "Thank you," he murmured. That win hadn't been just for him. It had been for Keoko too, who had gotten through to him when nothing, or no one else, could have.

* * *

Rin sat in the room, waiting for his turn to be called. He was up against Kamin Aokuma, who had won her last fight with a single punch. Something he wouldn't be able to stand against unless he drained her in just a few seconds. Sure he had been practicing, but it still took him more than a few seconds to drain when he was not in contact with them. Doubt gnawed at him. Would he be able to pull this off? Especially without fighting.

"Want some?" Akane asked with a smile as she set down beside him, offering him a box of their shared favorite candy.

"Yeah," Rin grinned. He took one of the mushroom mountains and crunched down on it, though it didn't ease any of the tension strung through his body.

Akane grinned back, then took one for herself. "Nervous?" she asked after a moment of munching.

"Yeah," Rin nodded. "I'm up against Aokuma..she's the one who won her last match with one strike. She's fast and strong."

"You also won your last match," Akane pointed out, which he already knew.

"But her quick was different," Rin sighed. "I might have to fight Aokuma…"

"And you will win," Akane said firmly, reaching over and touching his arm to draw his attention to her. "I know you can."

Rin looked up, smiling a little. "Thank you...would you be terribly disappointed if I did fight?"

"I'll never be disappointed in you," Akane said without had all the faith in him and wished he had it in himself as well. She knew he would never let her down; it was impossible for him to.

"Alright," Rin nodded. "I can't see how I can make it through things without using what...he taught me. I just don't want to hurt anyone."

Akane sighed, then reached up, pressing a hand to the side of his face. "Rin, listen to me. You're not him, not even by a long shot. No matter what you end up doing, I don't think you're capable of hurting anyone."

"You really think so?" Rin asked,blinking back moisture that sprung into his eyes. He really wanted to believe it, but reminders kept pushing themselves into his life.

"Absolutely," Akane said quickly, giving him a smile to reassure him somewhat. She hoped he would listen.

"Thank you," Rin ducked his head. "That helps a lot."

Akane's smile instantly grew. "You know there's no one that's rooting for you as much a I am out there." She dropped her hand. "Never forget how much you make me proud, Rin."

"I'm glad I make you proud," Rin suddenly hugged her.

Akane was surprised but welcoming of this and she embraced him back, just as fiercely. "More than anything," she said softly.

"Thank you," Rin said quietly. He looked up as his name was announced. "I guess I better go out there," he looked up at the speaker.

Pulling away, Akane ruffled his hair. "As long as you do your best, that's all that matters. Remember that."

"I will," Rin nodded, pulling away. "I'll win for sure!" he said, over his shoulder as he ran out the door.

"You better," Akane called then settled back down, taking another bite of candy as she pondered Rin for a moment. He had been dealt an unlucky hand in life but he refused to let it get to him. She really was proud of him. Smiling, she stood, going to the door. She didn't want to miss a second of this.

* * *

Kamin smiled and waved at her classmates as she ran out. She wanted to carry her class into the next round. It wasn't hard to figure out how to win in the next match. She had to use her superior strength and speed to knock him out before he could drain her. She had watched Nakamaru in the second round. He could drain with his right hand. So she would have to attack from his left side. But he could suspect that. Kamin looked thoughtful. It would be best to attack from behind.

Rin took a stance, unbuttoning his PE shirt as he wiped sweat from his forehead. He held his right arm out, ready for the silver light to spark out across it as soon as Midnight began the fight. He would win. He was a hero. A voice in the back of his mind whispered the past to him.

"You are a Tatsugami, we are no friends of Heroes or Villains and neither can we be those who call themselves such. To the world we are Villains, but a Tatsugami is a fighter. So you must fight."

He shook himself, fresh sweat gathering on his forehead as he tried to forget the voice. What was Aokuma going to do?

"Fight!"

Kamin dashed forward, falling down on all fours to increase her speed. She appeared behind him, clenching one paw into a fist.

Rin pivoted on the heels of his feet. Damn, she was fast. He couldn't keep up! Stepping backwards he raised his right arm to…

Kamin took the opportunity, catching him with a left swing. He raised his left arm to block, but she ducked, ramming into him with her right shoulder. That would be enough force to knock him out of the ring. Dust swirled into the air.

But flashes of silver met her gaze as the dust cleared from their encounter. Kamin gasped, looking down to see Rin's PE shirt wrapped around her waist. She tore the piece of fabric lose and jumped out of the way before the silver sparks could touch her.

Rin gasped, the hit having nearly torn his shirt from his grasp. At the last moment he had tore his shirt off, wrapping it around Aokuma's waist. Gold sparks flickered over his body as he spat out a bloody mouthful from where he had bit his lip. He straightened before Aokuma could get behind him again. Silver light sparked from his arm as he ran towards the middle of the ring.

Kamin sighed, clenching her paws into fists. She had lost her chance at surprise. But as long as she kept away from the silver light she could still win this. She couldn't underestimate the Hero Class A.

Rin panted, silver light sparking down his right arm. Suddenly, Kamin disappeared, her speed making her too fast for his eyes to track. Rin waited, spinning suddenly to his right. He reached up, grabbing Aokuma by the fisted paw. Silver light grabbed her, pulling away her energy.

Kamin grimaced, she had thought this would work. An attack from his draining side. He wouldn't expect it. But he was too fast, quick to react. He had reacted like some of the others. Like Tsukinose and the Saito twins, which hinted that he had been trained in combat. It wasn't a bad thing to lose to a great fighter like him. Maybe some of the heroes would still notice her and her classmates.

"Nakamaru wins and moves to the next round!"

Rin stared at Aokuma blinking in surprise. That had worked? Pain ached in his hand and he watched as golden light flickered over it, healing what damage had been done. He quickly reached down, pressing a hand against Aokuma and restoring her energy.

Kamin woke with a start. "Oh," she said sitting up. "Congratulations! You are an amazing fighter."

"Thanks," Rin smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes.

* * *

For the longest time after that match, neither Sakusa nor Izumi Tsukinose said anything. Sakusa tried, a few times, but every time he opened his mouth, his wife had given him a look. It was a look he knew well. She had found herself a puzzle and he knew just how seriously she took those.

"What's his name?" Izumi asked finally, absently pushing up her glasses further along the bridge of her nose as she turned to her husband.

"Rin Nakamaru," Sakusa said. He recognized the name, in an absent sort of way. He thought his daughter had described him as slightly less stupid or something similar to that. It was high praise coming from Kaori.

"I see," Izumi murmured, turning away from him once more. Her gaze fell on the blond boy again and while her expression was unreadable, her eyes were not. They burned bright with curiosity.

Smiling, Sakusa shook her head. She would figure it out, just as she always did.

* * *

Genjiro fidgetted as he stood waiting to be called out to the fighting ring. This was Kaori. He'd run from even an illusion of her back in the second event. But running was part of the point of the game. Kaori was top of their class in both academics and hero training. Also, unless Kaori was chunking rocks at him there was no way his quirk could help in this fight. Plus there was the fact that Kaori would kick him where Raji had and not on accident and definitely harder. He didn't want to go through that again. He had to outsmart the smartest girl in class. No pressure. Who was he kidding? There was lots of pressure. Tons and tons of pressure. Gah! Why couldn't he have fought against the girl who fought Rin? That would have been way more cool and way less scary. Kaori would probably flip him to the edge, taking advantage of her quirk and his clumsiness. She could do that, especially with her momentum trick. Oh well, if he was going to lose, it wasn't going to be something stupid like that.

Her eyebrow raised, Kaori's expression was otherwise set. Genjiro was an interesting choice, though she understood that it was all purely coincidental that they had been matched. There was a lot she could do, but what option would be the best? She ran through them quickly in her mind, weighing the pros and cons as she went. The best...it always had to be that.

Genjiro sighed, walking out onto the ring. He wasn't sure what he was doing. Perhaps he should just act on impulse with Kaori like he did with Hikari. But he wasn't about to rely on the same strategy.

Kaori shifted her weight slightly, watching Genjiro carefully as he approached her. Knowing what his quirk was and how he used it, that limited plans A through D, so she thought it best to use E through G. She just had to narrow it down from there.

Genjiro took a deep breath, feeling his skin rise and fall. It was almost as if he could feel the sponge like way his skin to absorbed energy. He wasn't sure how that would work with Kaori, but he was willing to do his best. That's all he could do. Everyone at the restaurant would be watching.

Finally settling on plan F, Kaori waited patiently. This would go fast if she had her way, which she had zero doubt of that happening. She shifted her weight again, letting it settle evenly between her feet. Her parents were watching, as well as her uncle, aunt, and cousin, but she wasn't concerned. She would win, rather they watched or not.

"Begin!"

Genjiro waited, watching to see what Kaori would do first. Everyone at the restaurant would be watching, which meant he would get teased all year long about this fight. Oh well. He would rather lose to Kaori than anyone else. She was the strongest in their class, so it made sense for her to win.

Understanding the ball was in her court, Kaori waited a moment, then began moving, shortening the distance between them but not straying to close. She wasn't ready for that, at least not yet.

Genjiro watched her movement, trying to copy it but in the reverse. Maybe he could counter her quirk that way.

He was expecting her to use her quirk but that wasn't what she was going to do, not at all. Without warning, she suddenly lunged, snapping her leg in one quick movement once she got in close enough range. Her foot caught his shoulder and she followed up this blow with two rapid punches.

Genjiro yelped, stumbling sideways as he clutched his shoulder. He jumped backwards, but not before her blows landed. Air knocked out of him, he staggered, tripping up on his own feet. This was fine. How was he supposed to react to this? Evidently she was going all martial arts on him, like she had done on Rin when he had snuck up behind her with a glass of ice last semester.

Kaori fell back, looking at him with a raised eyebrow. Was his own clumsiness what was going to take him out? She had taken that into consideration with this plan but hadn't been fully committed to this idea until now. Shaking her head, she went after him again, kicking him solidly in the side this time.

Genjiro vaguely remembered muttering a curse either Kaori or Rin had taught him and instantly regretted it. He sucked down a stinging breath, trying to keep on his feet. Kaori didn't give it easy on any of her attacks. That had really hurt.

Hearing Genjiro's curse, and recognizing it as one that she had heard Anamiya say, when he thought he was alone, Kaori smirked, just slightly, then refocused her attention on the attack. She kicked him again, going for the stomach this time, then punched him repeatedly in the shoulder and arms.

There was no choice about it. Genjiro hit the ground with a groan. There wasn't any sort of energy from her attacks corresponding with her quirk, so there was none to absorb, and her blows weren't creating enough energy to do anything.

Kaori walked quickly to the edge of the line, then turned so she could face Genjiro. Within seconds, she had switched their positions out.

Genjiro grimaced, pain spasming through his body from where she had hit. He curled up, much like he had his previous fight. Why did both his fights involve girls and a lot of pain? He listened as Midnight announced Kaori the winner. Good, she would move up. This would be interesting because that meant...Rin faced Kaori next. Ouch.

Pleased, Kaori walked back over to him, then offered him a hand. She knew she had to have hurt him some, though she had held back. "Good match," she said. He had tried, and she appreciated attempts, if nothing else.

"Thanks, I think I'll stay here for a moment," Genjiro murmured.

Kaori shrugged then dropped her hand. "Ice will help," she recommended. A few bruises wouldn't kill him but they would hurt for sure.

"Do you have any?" Genjiro glanced up at her. This had been a good reminder of how scary she was.

"Ask the Class Rep," Kaori said with a shrug.

"Alright," Genjiro nodded. "I guess that requires getting up."

Kaori nodded. That would be an obvious thing to do. In response, she offered him a hand again.

Genjiro took it, grimacing as he stood up.

"BOY FOLKS HE'S UP AGAIN, OUR TWICE KNOCKED DOWN KATOU IS RISING FROM THE ASHES. AND WITH THAT CONCLUDES ROUND TWO! IN THIRTY MINUTES ROUND THREE WILL START WITH SAITO V.S. SAITO-AND NOT BROTHERS THIS TIME-AND NAKAMARU V.S. TSUKINOSE!"

* * *

Without a word, Hikari offered him the two ice packs she had swiped before approaching him. He had to have some bruises from Tsukinose's attack, at the very least, and she still felt somewhat bad from what she had done earlier. Of course she knew it wasn't logical to feel any kind of remourse, or guilt, as it had been purely an accident but she couldn't push away those feelings entirely.

"Thank you," Genjiro grinned, placing an ice pack against his shoulder. "That feels good," he sighed, sitting down in a chair.

Hikari placed the other on his side, having seen just how fierce Tsukinose's hit had been there. "Do you think you need to to see Recovery Girl?"

"No," Genjiro shook his head. "I'll be okay! Plus I don't want to miss the next two fights."

Hikari shook her head. She supposed if he was so insistent, he must be at least somewhat certain of this. "Alright," she agreed.

"So who do you think will win, Class Rep?" he looked over at her.

Hikari frowned, just slightly. "Tsukinose maybe," she decided. She had never seen such ambition, or genius, before, not like that.

"I'm rooting for Rin," Genjiro admitted. "Especially after so many kicks. Maybe I'll change my mind."

Hikari surprised herself by laughing though she became serious a moment later. "Akio Saito shouldn't be ignored," she pointed out. The fight between him and Hanami had been brutal in it's speed.

"Right, I guess it's down to who is the fastest draw," Genjiro said, remembering Eizen was also among the top four.

"I did figure out something in our match," Hikari admitted after a moment. She had analysed it deeply since and she had finally come to a conclusion about it.

"What?" Genjiro asked, glancing at her.

"I need to rely on surprise more," Hikari said, wondering how she could miss something that was so obvious now.

"Oh yeah," Genjiro nodded. "That makes sense. Thought its hard to surprise in an arena. But I guess you could pull it off like Kaori."

"I may have to see if she has any suggestions for me," Hikari murmured, more to herself than him. She would be glad to learn whatever she could in order to better herself.

"I'm sure they are painful," Genjiro said lightly.

Hikari's lips twitched then she smiled. "Perhaps," she admitted, though with Tsukinose, it well could be anything.

"I won't fight you after you meet up," Genjiro decided.

Hikari didn't believe that for a second. "We'll see," she said diplomatically.

"Or maybe I should learn some martial arts moves from Kaori," Genjiro said thoughtfully.

"That might prove beneficial," Hikari said, looking as serious and as composed as ever even though she was having a very hard time with the image of Genjiro doing anything like that, considering how he tripped over his own feet so often.

"I think so, we should ask her," Genjiro nodded.

"The worst thing she can say is no," Hikari said, though she didn't think the other girl would.

"Right," Genjiro said. "I don't think you've been on the other side of her kicks."

"I don't want to," Hikari admitted. She had never seen something so...fierce before.

"So the worst thing she can do is kick you," Genjiro sighed.

Hikari grimaced, just slightly. "You're right," she admitted. Unfortunately.

Genjiro nodded, "Oh well."

Shaking her head, Hikari thought for a moment, then set down. "I guess we'll just see how this all plays out before then."

"Right," Genjiro nodded. "I wonder who will win."

* * *

"Akio, it's been a while now."

Akio glanced up, then instantly stiffened. "Dad," he murmured. It was only a matter of time. He hadn't let himself dwell on it but the fact remained that he had been ignoring the call, and few texts, since this whole thing began.

Hachi Saito folded his hands together, walking over to his son. Due to his eight feet in height, he could still look down at his son. "You are doing well. You've made it to the third round."

Shifting slightly, Akio nodded in acceptance of the compliment and in agreement. He hoped that this could speed the conversation up. This was perhaps the most painful thing he had ever done.

Hachi smiled, placing a hand on Akio's shoulder. "I'm proud of you."

Akio stiffened again, just slightly. "Thanks," he muttered. His father's approval had been something he had wanted a long time ago but not anymore. A part of him remembered hearing those words, from years ago, and that same part wanted nothing more than things to go back to the way they had been before. He missed his dad, though he would never admit that, and perhaps if the betrayal hadn't been as deep as it had, things would be different than they were now.

"So, what are you planning after school?" Hachi asked.

Of all the things… "Underground work," Akio said softly. It was the thing that appealed to him the most. He didn't want to be in the limelight.

"Ah," Hachi said, his tone hinting at nothing. "I was hoping you would consider coming to work at my agency."

A moment of silence passed and Akio wondered what his father was thinking. He would never, ever do something like that, not anymore. "I still have a couple more years here," he said finally.

"I see," Hachi said, pushing back his dark purple hair. "Well, if you ever need any advice, feel free to ask. I'll be requesting you for the week long study."

Akio jerked his gaze up. He should have been expecting this but he hadn't. "You are?"

"Yes, you've shown remarkable control over your quirk and I feel like I could help you understand it better." Hachi nodded.

"I…" Akio swallowed hard, his mouth unusually dry. He would rather not have this.

"No need to thank me, I'm sure you will have other agencies clamoring for you, but I would prefer it if you came to me," Hachi smiled.

But he wasn't going to thank him. Why would he do that? He swallowed hard, then straightened. "I guess we'll see how it turns out," he said softly, not sure what else he could say. The thought of being with his father, in close quarters, made Akio's stomach twist. They had only just said a few passing words to one another, nothing more, for the years since everything had happened and Akio wished to keep that established routine.

"Alright," Hachi nodded. "Well we should celebrate after the last rounds. What do you say?" he asked.

"I…" Akio swallowed hard. That was the last thing he wanted.

"Dad," Hitoshi said calmly, hands in his pockets. "What are you doing here?"

"Ah, Shinsou," Hachi said. "I wasn't expecting you here. I'm glad you made it, isn't Akio doing well?"

"He is," Hitoshi said, voice still measured and controlled, even though his lips were now pressed in a tight line. "I hate to pull him away, but I was sent to get him." The lie came easily.

"Ah well, be on your way then," Hachi said.

Barely aware of his brother grabbing his arm, and guiding him away, Akio didn't breathe until they had put a considerable amount of distance between themselves and their father.

"You alright?" Hitoshi asked softly, noting his brother's faint expression. Their father...what a bastard.

"No," Akio murmured. He never was after a conversation with their dad of late but he had to ignore all of this, at least for right now. The next match loomed over him, but so did memories, memories he would never forget.

* * *

Eizen couldn't say he was surprised that he was about to face Akio. He had already went against his brother, one of his best friends, so of course his third match would be with the other that was competing. He released a breath, meeting Akio's eyes who stared down at him, gaze as even as Eizen's. At least, he reasoned, it wasn't Keoko. When she was still in, there had been a chance of them going against one another and that thought had been worse than any other possibility.

Eizen. That would be interesting. Akio didn't want to fight his friend, yet he knew that this would be a match that would truly test his Quirk, as well as Eizen's, which was what he knew they both needed. But try as he might, he could feel his focus slipping. The conversation with his father had shaken him more than he had wanted to admit to Hitoshi, or even himself. He didn't understand how his father could come in, talking to him as he hadn't ruined the lives of two women, and nine children. His stomach twisted at the thought. No, he couldn't go back there, not right now.

It was only because Eizen knew Akio well enough that he could see the slight absent look in his eyes. He frowned, not sure what could have distracted him so much, but he didn't have time to dwell on it as Midnight called the match to begin and they had to start. Resolving to ask about it later, or at least have Keoko ask about it later, he acted quickly, knowing that speed was his only option in this situation. He had seen Akio's matches and knew how quick he could fight.

Akio took the blows, and he had no reason to, other then his mind had wandered, making his reflexes slow. Saito, get it together. Even as he tried to tell himself that, he realized that he was struggling to keep his mind in the present. Two years ago. Two years ago and his life had never been the same. After that night, he had never looked at his father the same way.

* * *

"What the fuck!" Makato shouted, raising her voice as loud as she could without waking the children. "And you expect me to just accept this and move on?"

"Yes, we are married and we have to think about the children," Hachi shook his head.

"For the children, oh I'm sure that's exactly what you thought when you cheated on me and had a child with that woman," Makato jabbed a finger into his chest. "And you didn't even tell me! I had to get the story from a tabloid!"

"And we know how truthful tabloids are," Hachi said with an unimpressed look.

"Well this one is considering all the evidence is correct," Makato seethed. "You aren't even sorry! Where is the man I married? Hm? Tell me because the man I married wasn't sleeping around in other women's beds!"

"Look, honey," Hachi placed a hand on her arm.

"Don't honey me," she jerked away. "Just how many have you slept with? You think you can get away with this just because you are a hero with his name in the top 50? Well guess what? I'm on that list too!"

"You are overreacting," Hachi groaned.

"Me, I've overreacting to you cheating on me?" Makato laughed. "Oh that's rich."

"This isn't about what happened, this is what we need to do for the kids," Hachi said stubbornly.

"And yourself," Makato scoffed.

Listening to his parents' raised voices, Akio closed his eyes, leaning heavily against his bedroom door. His dad..his dad who had taken him to the greenhouse on the weekends, took him and his siblings swimming every week, who had challenged him on what it meant to be a hero, who pushed him to his limits, showed him what he could and couldn't do, who Akio frankly idolized beyond belief- how could he have done this to their family, to his mother? Where did it all go wrong? Swallowing hard, he clenched his hands together, balling them into fists. He had another brother, who he hadn't been aware of now and he didn't even know how to comprehend any of this. He felt like he would be sick, very aware that he would never be able to forgive his father for this. No apologies, no attempts, would ever make up for this. There would never be any going back, not after tonight. Swallowing hard, he forced his eyes open and reached for the phone. It was late but he knew Keoko would pick up as she always did. As he opened his messaging app, the breaking news notification caught his eye and he was clicking on before he realized he shouldn't.

Number 29 Hero Connection's Extramarital Affair Revealed!

With shaking hands, Akio quickly got out of the notification and pulled up Keoko's number. He fired off a text, barely aware of what he said, then settled back against the door, working on taking a deep breath. It didn't matter, nothing his father had done mattered. He had made his choices and so had Akio. He would get to know his new found brother, help his other siblings and mother, and then eventually become a hero in his own right. He had no place in his heart, or life, for someone who so easily betrayed the ones he was supposed to love the most. He would never be like him.

* * *

A hero in his own right.

The words suddenly, and vividly, came back to Akio just as the memory sharply diminished. He nearly staggered under the weight of them. It had been years, but the part of him that had made that vow hadn't changed. If anything, he had meant it more now then he did then. He didn't need his dad's guidance, or approval, not anymore. He wasn't going to let nostalgia convince him otherwise. He had been fine for the two years, and he would be fine for the next two and so on. He could do this, and would. He wasn't here to make his dad proud, but his mother and siblings, the ones who had been there for him and always would continue to be.

His surroundings snapped into focus and he realized he had been moving on autopilot for the last several moments. He needed to get back into this match. Eizen deserved him fully engaged.

Eizen couldn't figure out what the issue was, or if anything actually was. Akio was managing to dodge his blows and deliver some of his own; water was now soaking Eizen's shirt and his hair, running down his face and stinging his eyes. However, even with all of this, he just didn't seem focused, not like he should be. Akio could have finished this the moment it began but he hadn't and he wasn't one to drag things out longer than there was a need for. He shook his head slightly, hoping he was alright, then put on a burst of speed. His blasts had helped Akio push closer to the line and now he thought he might be able to finish this.

Within seconds, Akio realized what was going on and out of instinct more than anything else, he reached, calling to the natural water in Eizen's body. He didn't know what he was doing, not really, but the next thing he knew, Eizen was on the ground, eyes wide as he stared up at him.

It was the strangest thing, having your own body used against you but there was nothing Eizen could do. Somehow, using his body's water, Akio had successfully pinned Eizen and he was completely helpless as Midnight called the match over.

Not entirely sure how he had just done what he had, it took Akio a moment to figure out how to release Eizen and once he did, he quickly offered him a hand up. "Are you alright?" he asked quietly.

Eizen nodded, brushing back dark hair from his face as he stood. He was certain that fall was going to leave some bruises. "Are you?" he asked, just as quietly.

Akio paused, just for a fraction, then nodded. "I am," he murmured. At least better than before. Suddenly, realization dawned on Akio and his eyes widened, just slightly. He had won...he had won. That meant there were only a few more rounds to go and this would be over. He had never thought he would ever make it this far.

* * *

Kaori always took great pride in the fact that she was rarely, if ever, unprepared. She always had plans, at least three but no more than seven depending on the situation, and because of that, she was never surprised, never caught-of-guard by anything. However, this time, this time she might not have been expecting what she was now facing. Nevermind that. Even with her intelligence, it was alright to make the occasional mistake, as long as she learned from it and did everything she could to prevent herself from doing the same thing again. Releasing a breath, she pulled back her black hair, gaze even as she stared at Rin. She defeated Genjiro just fine. Rin would simply make no difference.

Rin stood, fists clenched as he waited for the start. He had seen Kaori's last fights. Judging by her stance she was going to knock him out in the ring, similar to Genjiro. Which meant he needed to fight. Ignoring the lingering voices in his head, he focused on First Aid's words. She was proud of him no matter what. Taking a deep breath, he prepared for their match.

Kaori waited patiently, nothing but calm. Nothing would get in her way of winning this, including Rin, who was probably the closest friend she had ever had. Sentiment was pointless; it would only get her way.

"Begin!" Midnight shouted.

Rin raised his left arm aiming at her, knowing that she would dodge. Trying to judge by her body language, silver light dashed down his arm heading towards her as he ran forward.

Kaori dropped then rolled at the last moment, putting more distance between them. She didn't get back to her feet until his back was to her, then she slammed her foot into the back of his knee, following this with a quick punch to his left kidney.

Fight, he had to fight. Rin gulped, letting his knee buckle. Pain spread across his side from where she had punched, but he grabbed her arm before she could pull back. Without hesitation he flipped her into the air, springing backwards. When she was level, he let go, the heel of his foot coming down hard on her back as he knocked her to the ground.

* * *

"It's called the Dragon Tail Lash," Masa explained. "First you have to get your opponent in the air. By their will or yours, it makes no difference. This can be performed right side up, just make sure you use your heel against something soft. If you aren't intending to kill, then aim for the ribcage."

Rin sat on the overturned crate, swinging his legs just above the floor. A few more inches and he'd be able to set his feet on the ground. His father paced the floor in front of him, explaining the new move he was to learn.

"Once your stronger," Masa leaned down to look at his son. "You'll be able to break someone's back with this kick."

"Wouldn't that hurt?" Rin asked, tilting his head.

"Very much so, but they won't be able to attack you back," Masa patted Rin's head. "Now let's practice."

* * *

Gritting her teeth as pain bloosmed right by her spine, she really had only herself to blame for that one, Kaori rolled to keep from falling completely then jumped to her feet. She spun to face him, giving him two quick punches in the stomach, then following it with a kick. This was the first time she had really been challenged, she realized.

Golden light sparked across his body. Rin blocked her kick countering with a double kick then an upper cut faint followed by a blow to her sternum.

Kaori jerked away, protecting herself enough with the action it ended up as a simple graze. Somewhat impressed, though she would never admit to it, she fell back, then lashed out again, connecting her foot with his side. She couldn't let him touch her, with either hand, so she had to be quick. She fell back again, then sent another blow, this time between two ribs.

He countered, kicking he in the shin then giving her a quick jab in the ribs. Silver light flashed down his arm again. Damn, he should have drained her earlier, but he had focused so much on the move that he had forgotten to use his quirk. Now he has given her opportunity.

Huffing, Kaori composed herself quickly then gave him two blows in quick succession, hitting him in the fold of his elbow then elbowing him sharply between his ribs again. She didn't let him recover. Instead, she went after him again, grabbing his arm then jerking him as hard as she could to get him to the ground.

Rin let himself fall, but planted his legs under him. He reached out, grabbing her ankle with his draining arm. Light pulses down, sparking silver flecks, as it moved to drain her energy.

Cursing him under her breath, Kaori reached out, kicking him squarely in the chest then pulled back, freeing herself and putting several inches of distance between them as she fought to catch her breath.

Rin stumbled back, but planted his feet to keep from falling. He too sucked in short gasps of air, raising his arm, the silver light following her as she moved.

Narrowing her eyes slightly, Kaori waited a moment, then went after him again, moving fast. She gave several short kicks, hitting his thighs, but not staying in place least he was able to hit her with his quirk.

With her kicking it was hard to focus, Rin pivoted on one foot, catching her in the shoulder before attacking with his left side again. Sparks of light flew as their movements became almost to fast to follow.

Hissing between clenched teeth, Kaori blocked for several moments then traded their positions, getting on the offense. He was more skilled than she realized. Another mistake.

Rin grimaced, but continued to fight. His extra stamina, from the inflow of energy from his quirk, dulled the pain of the hits he was taking. Also no fatigue dragged at him. He hoped he could win in a battle of outlasting each other. He had no luck hitting her with his quirk yet.

* * *

"The thousand claw strike," Masa instructed. He demonstrated a heavily technical move with the grace and ease of a cat. "Unique to the Tatsugamis. None have been able to replicate it. It is our secret from now on, son."

Rin nodded, keeping his fists up. The strikes were hard and fast, utilizing all four limbs in various patterns.

"Learning this skill takes much energy, which shouldn't be too difficult for you," Masa placed a hand on his son's shoulders. "Once you master the move, you should be able to take down an enemy with ease.

* * *

Clenching his fists, Rin attacked with a velocity he hadn't had in almost six months. Before Kaori could react he had kicked the sides of her thighs, hitting the weak muscle and bringing her to the ground. Two strikes, hitting the shoulders. In a more serious fight, hard enough to knock out of socket. In his father's fight that was. He had her on the ground.

Wait he had her on the ground.

Raising his left arm he held it inches away from her. Silver light traced down his arm. Sweat poured down his face as he breathed heavily. The light raced down, reaching out and touching.

A fluttering shirt.

"Gotcha," Kaori said softly, before wrapping her legs around his waist then using her momentum, sent him toppling to the ground. She rested briefly on his back, pushing against the pressure points she knew he had.

Rin grimaced, struggling slightly but realizing soon it was in vain. He couldn't move his arm or use his quirk with her pushing down so hard against whatever pressure points she had locked onto. A few seconds passed before the match was called. When she let him up, he held out a hand. "That was a good match," he smiled a little.

Kaori smiled, just a little as well, as she took it. "I expect a rematch one of these days." She had enjoyed herself a surprising amount.

"Yeah," Rin nodded. Yikes, since when did her smile become so cute? Maybe because it was so rare? Shaking himself he nodded, gold light flashing down his arm and giving her a boost. "Good luck, win this," he grinned, before walking off.

"I will," Kaori called back, smirking to herself as she watched him go. He was ridiculous, but somewhere, somehow, she decided that at the very least, he was entertaining. Shaking her head, she released her hair, letting it fall down over her shoulders.

* * *

Very slowly, Izumi Tachibana-Tskinose lowered her dark-framed glasses, caught somewhere between disbelief and outrage, despite her daughter's victory. Rin Nakamaru...a Tatsugami. Her daughter had to know, of course she did, but why had she decided on pursuing a friendship with him and why had she not discussed this with either of them? She pressed her lips together in a tight line, willing herself to keep a clear head, as she glanced at her husband. "What the fuck?" she murmured.

"I'm sure she has her reasons," Sakusa said quietly, reaching out to grab his wife's arm before she could do anything that she might well regret. Izumi was focused, in-control, and brilliant, perhaps all three to a fault, but when the Tasugami family was involved, she lost that level head that she was famous for. What had Kaori been thinking? He could only guess, but he had to hope she would provide a good enough explanation that would satisfy his wife.

A moment passed, in which Izumi worked on regaining her control, even a measure of it, then she straightened, pulling away from her husband and turning to her younger brother. "Shindou, come with me," she said cooly as she stood, reaching up and returning her glasses to where they had been. Without a word, Shindou stood as well, his dark eyes seemingly more dark than before.

Sakusa shared a look with his sister-in-law Okatsu, who simply shrugged and turned back away. It was clear that she didn't want to get in the middle of this and if he had any sense, he wouldn't either...yet, the boy was simply that and if Kaori had made a decision to befriend him, he couldn't be all bad, if that. His daughter had seen something in Rin, she had to, because she wouldn't have done any of this if she hadn't. Making his own decision, Sakusa stood, following after his wife and Shindou as he absently wondered where his nephew had wandered off to. Deciding he would worry about that later, he glanced at his wife. Though her expression revealed nothing, he knew her well enough to understand that it actually revealed everything. This, he thought, was going to be interested.

* * *

"AND NOW FOR THE FIGHT TO DETERMINE WHICH ONE OF OUR STUDENTS WILL MAKE THIRD PLACE! AFTER THAT A SHORT BREAK AND THEN THE FINAL FIGHT!"

He had made it this far, which was much further than he had ever imagined being. Taking a deep breath, Eizen shifted his weight slightly, not entirely sure how he felt about any of this as he hadn't even fully committed himself to this until very recently. But none of that mattered. He was here, as ready as he would ever be. Glancing at Nakamaru, he released a breath. He had seen how brutal he got with him and Tsukinose, so he wasn't looking forward to this at all.

Rin watched Eizen, judging his stance and positioning. His father had taught him a trick, before he had left, on how to handle someone with speed. Looking back at Eizen Saito's previous fights he would use his speed, considering his own fight moments ago. Taking a deep breath he watched his classmate.

"Begin!"

As the match was called, Eizen quickly realized his best option was his speed. That would be the only thing that might give him a chance of winning this, though he also realized that perhaps the main reason he was invested was because Keoko was rooting for him and she was impossible to say no too. Making his decision, and knowing he could only do his best, he let his power flood through him, then he ran straight at Nakamaru, hoping to catch him off guard.

Rin dove backwards, falling roughly to his back, but just in time. No sooner than he had reacted, Eizen was on him. Silver light already reached out, licking towards Saito's melancholy energy.

He had quick reflexes, that was for certain, and Eizen couldn't say he was surprised. Rin Nakamaru had constantly proved himself, in one way or another, all through this. Blue energy instantly darted from his hands, with barely any conscious of his own, clashing wildly with the silver

Both energies writhed around each other, sparks of silver and blue shedding off of each other. At first the blue seemed to triumphant, pushing back the silver. But the greed and hunger of the silver began to devour the blue. Flashes of blue disappeared as silver worked its way up steadily towards Eizen Saito's body.

Inhaling sharply as he felt the impact of Nakamaru's quirk against his, Eizen took several steps back, knowing it would be pointless to keep trying this approach. Acting quickly, he used his speed to move away, working on attacking from another angle.

Rin tried to follow, but he couldn't keep up. He expanded his reach to it's limit, the silver light whipping out from his arm in bright flashes.

Eizen stumbled as something suddenly hit him in the arm. Instantly, he could feel the force of his quirk diminishing, his speed fading quickly. He realized, in that minute, that he had lost. He wasn't disappointed he realized, only worried that Keoko might be.

Rin followed up, quickly attacking before Eizen could retaliate. He had seen the older Saito in training and knew they had their own style of martial arts. Being unfamiliar with it, it was best he kept his distance. Again the beam of silver light stretched out, latching onto his opponent.

Eizen wasn't sure what to do. He had to keep his distance, yet at the same time, he really couldn't. Gritting his teeth, he slammed a blast of blue energy at Nakamaru, aiming at his shoulder.

Rin saw the last but didn't have time to move. With one last effort he attempted to latch the light onto Eizen. A sudden burst of energy told him he had succeeded. Just then the blue energy hit him, driving into his shoulder. He fell to the ground, golden light springing up across his body as it healed itself rapidly.

Gasping, Eizen stumbled, before his legs gave away. The silver light latched onto his quirk, pulling away his energy as quickly as it could. "Damn," he breathed.

"Match over!" Midnight's whip snapped.

"AND WITH THAT FOLKS WE HAVE OUR THIRD PLACE WINNER! RIN NAKAMARU! EVERYONE GIVE HIM A HAND.

IN JUST FIFTEEN MINUTES OUR FINAL FIGHT TO DETERMINE WHO WILL STAND IN FIRST PLACE.

KAORI TSUKINOSE

OR

AKIO SAITO!"

* * *

 **After over a month of waiting (Seriously it just says 10,000+ words but its like 20 pages on our doc. Sorry for the long wait! Will try to do better next round and might succeed since a lot of it is pre-written! Next chapter we see the First Class Winner (anyone want to place bets?) and not only that but some Class 2 and 3 fights. AND the beginning of the Charity Dinner!**

 **Until next time! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


	25. Chapter 23

_Reviews with Alumni and Loki:_

 _ChillyIce: *Shrugs* You'll see our winner in this. But thank you so much!_

 _gold crown dragon: Haha, well no spoilers but…*grins* Hope you enjoy this chapter and we love the new costume!_

 _61394 : Of course she did! And you get your answer fairly early on!_

 _Supreme Kai of Booty: Yikes, sorry about your phone! But we're so glad to hear from you!_

 _LifeisBeautiful17: We're also so glad to hear from you and we're always pleased to hear that you're enjoying what we're doing. Thank you!_

* * *

"You did well," Kaori said, giving Rin a somewhat impressed look as he approached her. Eizen Saito was skilled, so it hadn't been an easy match.

"Thanks," Rin nodded, wiping sweat off his forehead. He was bouncing energetically despite having fought four times during the length of the afternoon.

Kaori shifted slightly, then reached up, pulling back her hair into a ponytail. "That means you'll have to attend the charity dinner."

"Wait what?" Rin glanced at her. "I do? I thought that was just for first and second place!"

Kaori shook her head. "No, it's for third too." How he didn't know this, she had no idea.

Rin's face fell. "I really wanted those extra credits for serving," he bemoaned.

A moment of silence passed then Kaori shrugged. "If you need help with something, you can always ask," she pointed out.

Rin glanced at her a flush spreading across his cheeks that he blamed on the excess energy, "Er, thanks. That's really nice of you."

Kaori gave him a look. Why was he blushing like that? "I'm always happy to assist, in whatever ways I can." Something caught her eye and glancing up, she sighed. Of course they were coming. It was only a matter of time and she didn't expect anything else.

"Well thanks," Rin ran a hand through his hair with a crooked smile.

"My apologies," Kaori said, standing as her mother approached. She wasn't sure how this would unfold but she knew it wouldn't be in Rin's favor. She exhaled softly then straightened.

"Kaori," Izumi said cooly, though her attention was fixed solely upon Rin. "You did well and so did your fr iend."

Rin glanced up seeing almost an almost exact copy of Kaori. That must be her mother. Rin smiled, hoping he wasn't blushing anymore. "Thank you," he bowed.

Izumi narrowed her eyes, just slightly, but her expression didn't change. "You have a very distinctive fighting style."

Meeting her father's gaze, Kaori turned away, looking evenly at her mother. That was what she had been waiting for.

Rin froze mid bow. Shit, he had almost forgotten Kaori belonged to the Tachibana Clan. He slowly raised back up, looking very intimidated.

"So how did it come to be, a Tachibana and Tatsugami being friends?" Izumi asked, not looking away from Rin. Perhaps she would get an answer from him, since her daughter didn't see the need to tell her about this.

"Well," Rin swallowed hard. "Uh...er...she needed a friend?"

Deciding to quickly step in before things got any worse, Sakusa smiled warmly. "Well, I'm certainly glad of that. I've told Kaori for years that she needed to meet new people."

Kaori rolled her eyes at that. He had. It was ridiculous.

"And we needed her as a friend too," Rin nodded, slightly emboldened by the encouraging words.

"You're very fortunate to have my niece," Shindou said quietly. His tone wasn't as cool as his sister's, but it certainly lacked warmth. He still couldn't figure out what Kaori had been thinking.

"And I'm not a Tatsugami, my name is legally Nakamaru," Rin shifted, his feet skating across the floor nervously.

Izumi's gaze was even as she kept it on him. "Yet you fight just like a Tatsugami." She had seen it far too much to doubt what she had seen.

"But I'm not one anymore," Rin protested.

"If he was, we wouldn't be having this conversation to begin with," Kaori said, the slightest impatient edge to her voice. If she had seen any true Tatasugami trait in him, she wouldn't have taken the chance on him that she had. She wasn't wrong about people, she never was.

Izumi's brows furrowed slightly behind her glasses and for a moment she didn't say anything. "We'll resume this discussion once this is over," she said finally, tone controlled.

Kaori wasn't expecting any less and she nodded shortly. Her mom was taking this far better than she had been expecting.

Sakusa released a breath he hadn't been aware of holding then gave his daughter a warm smile. "You're doing amazing out there. I'm so proud of you."

Her defensiveness slipping away, just the slightest, and Kaori gave a fleeting smile. "Thank you Dad."

Pressing her lips together in a tight line, Izumi turned back to Rin. "I trust my daughter's judgement, but I will warn you that if you, or any of the Tatasugamis, hurt her in any way, there will be no mercy."

"Yes ma'am," Rin nodded, with a look of terror in his eyes.

"It was nice to meet you," Sakusa said, offering him a hand and purposefully ignoring the tension he could feel radiating off his wife and brother-in-law.

"You too, sir," Rin dipped his head in a bow as he took the man's hand.

"I look forward to getting to know you better," Sakusa said with a smile. Rin had already made a rather solid impression on him already, despite the blood that ran through his veins.

"Thank you," Rin nodded, giving the older man a firm handshake. Maybe he could make a small good impression on at least one member of Kaori's family.

Kaori was openly watching them. They had went beyond her expectations, which was a pleasant surprise. She could trust that her father would always do his best to keep matters civil.

"You're a brave man for deciding to be my daughter's friend," Sakusa said with a smirk, glancing briefly at Kaori, who rolled her eyes. "But I trust you know what you're getting in with her by now."

"Yeah, we actually haven't fought in earnest until now, she's really good," Rin nodded.

"Of course I am," Kaori said absently, glancing at her phone. She only had a few more minutes.

Izumi wouldn't expect her daughter to be anything but 'really good.' She was her daughter after all. "Good luck," she said, glancing at Kaori. She would need to do her own investigation of Rin Nakamaru before deciding her next move. Besides, the conversation she needed to have with her daughter, in which she found out why this hadn't been discussed with them until now, needed to happen in private.

Kaori nodded, dipping her head. She needed to put all her focus on the match she was about to have. Akio Saito was not someone she felt as confident about beating as she should.

"You'll do great, kid," Sakusa said with a smile, reaching over and ruffling what he could of his daughter's hair.

"I will." Kaori straightened. She always did. She refused to believe this time would be any different.

Shindou gave her a silent nod; she would be fine. He glanced around briefly, wondering absently where his son had wandered off to, then turned. He would show up eventually.

"I have to go," Karoi said, glancing briefly at Rin. He would best sit with Anamiya and Genjiro; she knew her family wouldn't do anything, yet it was simply better safe than sorry.

"I do as well, it was good meeting you," Rin nodded, hoping he sounded sincere.

"And you," Sakusa said with a smile, then he turned away as well, making sure he had his wife with him.

Kaori waited, watching them go, then sighed softly. "I should have warned you that they would come."

"That's alright," Rin nodded. "Your family is intense."

"At least my cousin didn't come too," Kaori said, barely suppressing a snort. She was certain he was lurking somewhere. "But I suppose they are, in their own way."

"Well I would rather meet your family than you meet mine," Rin laughed half-heartedly.

"I already have," Kaori said absently as she turned away, mind quickly working through possible options for her to take. "I'll see you after I get done." How could she make this match favorable to her?

* * *

Karoi stared up at Akio Saito, her expression carefully set. She wasn't concerned, not particularly, but the vast difference in their heights did give her pause, but just the slightest. This was just another obstacle that she had to overcome, but it wasn't an impossible one. It never was. She just had to find the right solution to take so she would have the upper hand in this and eventual claim the final win.

This was it, what everything had been leading up to, and Akio really had no idea how he managed to be one of the last two left but here he was, facing Kaori Tsukinose and not entirely sure what he was going to do. She was talented, skilled beyond reason, and he didn't know the first thing about going against her. He was vastly unprepared and he was realizing that more by the passing second.

"Begin!"

Knowing she had to move fast, Kaori did just that. In seconds, she had switched their positions, then immediately went on the offensive, striking fast and furious in a series of kicks. They didn't land where she would prefer, due to just how tall he was, but she decided to take what she could get. Knowing how fast he could end this with the use of his quirk, she knew she had to act quickly. If he wasn't constantly caught off guard, he would act and she couldn't have this.

Having seen how she had fought, Akio had been expecting something like this but even with those exceptions, nothing could have prepared him for how fast she could move and how every hit she delivered was brutal. Never giving him even a moment to recover, she kept him desperately trying to keep his feet underneath him and unable to do anything else.

Kaori kept her attacks up, aiming for what she could reach, which, much to her displeasure, wasn't much. But she was still able to make every hit count; anything to keep him disoriented, or simply off balance, enough, that she kept the upper hand in this match or as much as she could. Her first plan had already fallen through but she couldn't say she was worried as she had already moved onto the second. This was why she always had more than one.

Akio stumbled more than once, but he knew that as long as he kept his footing, she hadn't taken the win. He had no doubt she would, but he was determined to do his best and at least try to make this a challenge for her, even just a little. Sweat burned his eyes, stinging them sharply. She wasn't allowing him even a fraction of a second to recover, to do anything. She had him on the defensive, constantly trying to keep himself from giving into each of her pointed hits.

It was only because of how high her endurance was, due to years of training, that Kaori was only somewhat weary at this point in her assaults. Sensations, such as exhaustion, were pointless in the long run. Holding her resolve, and gritting her teeth, she slammed a kick into his back, as high as she could.

What was he to do? Akio had no combat skills, not like she did and as she had kept him constantly fending off her attacks, the best of his ability which wasn't much, he didn't have any actual chance of using his quirk. Something suddenly caught his attention but at first he didn't know what it was. After a moment, he realized he did...and he almost laughed in pure disbelief. His luck had changed; he knew that before the first raindrop splattered onto his face. There was a storm in the air, building in its intensity and the water that was being formed in the clouds above was calling to him like nothing else

When Kaori felt the first raindrop, then the second, she swore under her breath. This just changed things, though she wasn't sure what had happened. The last she had heard, there had been no chance of rain today; if there had been, she would have prepared for this scenario, but now she was at a loss. She had to figure something out.

More and more rain began to fall and Akio took a moment to simply relish the feel of it against his skin. It was the oddest thing, just how much water could make everything feel alright. He held up a hand, watching as raindrops formed together into a ball. He had no idea what he was doing, but it seemed there was some sort of instinct that did.

Kaori dodged, barely missing the water blast. The rain was coming down harder then before and it was only because she had planned for something along these lines happening that she had brought her waterproof goggles. She quickly slid them on, which helped her make out Akio Saito through the rapidly declining visibility. She was soaked completely already, dark hair plastered to her head. What was she going to do now? He was using his quirk, he had to be, rather he knew it or not, and now she had officially lost the upper hand. Damn it. Why hadn't she taken this into consideration? She knew better than this.

It was almost an intoxicating high, being surrounded by so much water, but there was an odd sort of exhaustion that seemed to come out of nowhere, taking Akio and pulling him down; it took everything he had to keep on his feet. He didn't really understand but knew it had something to do with his quirk. Biting his lip, the pain giving himself something to focus on, he drew another ball of water into his hand, this one larger than before. He still really had no idea what he was doing, but he knew that he really had no other option but to try to finish this. He was rapidly losing strength. He hauled the ball of water, then took a staggering step. He fell onto his knees with a gasp, knowing he had done his best but it was over.

The blast took Kaori off guard, the force behind it driving her backwards several steps. Inhaling sharply, she fell, rolled to her side, then stood, taking a step forward. Instantly, she realized what happened, where she was at, and in a rare loss of composure, she paled. She was over the line. Had she...had she actually lost?

"Tsukinose is out!" Midnight called.

"AND WITH THAT WE HAVE OUR WINNER OF THE FIRST YEAR'S SPORT'S FESTIVAL!" Present Mic's voice roared over the cheering crowds. "AKIO SAITO!"

* * *

"THIS YEAR, GIVING OUT THE MEDALS IS OUR NUMBER ONE PRO HERO, BISHAMOTEN!"

Hideyoshi Abe walked up, in his full gear. A white robe with long full sleeves, wrapped in monkish style. He took the bronze medal from Midnight, holding it up to the crowd before approaching the podium.

Rin stared openly at the number one hero. He couldn't believe this. He had no idea. The Number One.

Akio's head was spinning. He had won, he had won and he still couldn't believe it. Taking a deep breath, he focused on simply standing. That was all he could do.

Her expression carefully controlled, Kaori watched, wondering how she could have been so stupid as to not predict the possability of Akio Saito's quirk managing to do what it did. She wasn't supposed to be like that; she should have won.

"Congratulations, Nakamaru," Hideyoshi said softly. "You earned your place well, and I commend you for your heroic behavior. You will make a fine hero." The white sleeves of his robe brushed Rin's shoulders as he placed the medal over his head.

"Thank you sir," Rin said, bowing deeply towards the number one hero.

Hideyoshi smiled, dipping his head as well, one hand resting against his chest. He then turned, taking the silver medal from Midnight. Stepping forward he held out the medal towards Kaori Tsukinose.

Kaori brushed away her loose black hair, then bowed her head. Silver wasn't what she wanted, but she would still accept it all the same. SHe had shown the world just what she was capable of doing.

"Congratulations, Tsukinose," he told her in the same soft voice. "You fought well today, and showed true heroic spirit. You will make a fine hero someday," he slipped it over her head, before stepping back.

"Thank you, Sir," Kaori said quietly. She felt the weight of the medal against her chest as she glanced up, examining him briefly then straightening.

Hideyoshi nodded, before moving and taking the gold medal. He took it in his hands, approaching Akio Saito.

Akio stared at his feet, struggling to keep calm. He really just couldn't believe any of this. He had won...he had actually won.

"Well won, Akio Saito," Hideyoshi, Number One Hero, Bishamoten, said, tilting his head up. "You have proven yourself today in a manner worthy of the title Hero. Best of luck to you. You will be a true hero someday."

Akio cleared his throat. "Thank you," he said softly, voice cracking slightly.

Hideyoshi smiled softly, before turning and waving at the crowd and presenting the three winners. He then turned, walking away, his hand raised in farewell before he disappeared in a blur of white robes.

* * *

"AAH! CONGRATULATIONS LITTLE BROTHER!" Takeshi nearly threw himself at Akio, encouraging his brother Youta to help him pick Akio up.

Akio felt his face instantly flame. "Takeshi," he warned, taking several steps back. He glanced around, finding each of his eight siblings around and getting closer.

"Congratulations," Youta rumbled with his deep voice, patting Akio on the shoulder.

"We knew you could do it," Fujie said with a smile, hugging him tightly.

"We're proud of you," Chiyo said, voice soft as she reached to wrap an arm around his shoulders. Her siblings were incredible.

Mayako smiled hugging Akio tightly. "Good job, big brother!" she beamed up at him.

"No one deserves it as much as you do," Hitoshi said, voice as quiet as his older sister's. He kept his distance, knowing Akio wasn't one for a lot of affection and feeling the same way.

Eimi nodded, pushing past Mayako so she could get in her own hug as well. "You're going to be such a great hero."

"Yeah," Fumihiro nodded. "The best!"

Feeling his face grow steadily warmer by the second, Akio cleared his throat. "Thanks," he murmured, wanting to be swallowed up by the ground. He hadn't been expecting this, or all the attention he knew would follow, so he was beginning to understand that he really hadn't thought this whole winning thing through enough. "I couldn't have done it without any of you." His siblings, all of them, had been the support, the motivation, the driving force behind him being able to win this, he was sure of it.

"AKIO!"

There was a blur of light blue as Keoko bursted through his gauntlet of siblings, hugging him tightly.

"Wait for us," Akari called, a few steps behind as she drug Eizen with her. Pushing her way past all the Saito siblings as well, she released Eizen so she was able to embrace Akio as well. "We're so happy for you!"

Now trapped between the two girls, Akio desperately glanced at Eizen, who first nodded, then shrugged. Though he couldn't fault him for not wanting to get involved, the betrayal was still there.

"You're the best!" Keoko beamed. "You'll be a great hero!" She paused only for a moment before punching him. "What did he say?" she demanded. "You talked with the Number 1! What did he say? I couldn't hear!"

Akari nodded, eyes wide as she kept a grip on his other arm. "I can't believe you talked to him! Was he nice? I bet he was. What did he say? Word-for-word. I have to know!"

"Uh…" Akio grimaced at Keoko. For someone so small, she had far more strength than she should. "He just basically congratulated me." He honestly couldn't really remember. The experience was a haze at best.

"That's it!?" Keoko shrieked. "You didn't even get his autograph or anything?"

Akio shrugged a shoulder. "He was giving me a medal. It was all very fast." In all honesty, he hadn't even thought of it.

Akari made a sound that might have been a groan, or a wail, or even a mixture of both. "Akio! You should have gotten it! How many times will you meet him in your life?"

"That's right! How many?" Keoko demanded.

"Well…" Akio trailed off, wondering if he could outrun them both. Probably not. "I'm sure I'll have at least one more opportunity," he offered.

"But you don't know for sure!" Akari protested, outrage clear. He knew better than this.

"And you can't even remember what he said," Keoko said pouting.

"I do," Akio protested, taking a step backwards. Why wasn't Eizen helping him? Or his siblings?

"Well let's bug him about it over dinner?" Takeshi grinned, ruffling Akio's hair fondly as he came to the rescue. "Everyone goes, my treat!"

Her eyes widening, Akari felt her cheeks heating. She had forgotten Takeshi Saito was there, somehow, and now aware of him, she was also aware of how close she was to one of her favorite heros in the world, who really was too attractive for either of their own good. She swallowed hard. "Dinner?" she asked, voice coming out in a high pitch.

"Yeah, our family and Akio's school friends," Takeshi nodded. "What do you say. Little brother?" he grinned, elbowing Akio.

Akio shrugged. Being around that many people, even family, was exhausting in its own right, but maybe his siblings could be used as distractions. "Alright," he decided.

"Let's go!" Takeshi cheered. "To the First Year's Victor!"

* * *

"Congratulations on second place," Rin walked up to Kaori, a smile on his face.

Kaori glanced at him then shrugged. "I should have done better." She was capable of it, so why didn't she?

"So?" Rin shrugged. "You did your best. We all did."

"I am a Tsukinose. My best needs to be more than that." It had to be, but she didn't know if Rin could understand that.

"There's always next year. You can form a plan," Rin said. The use of a name stung a bit. He knew what it was like to be expected to uphold the family honor.

Kaori sighed. "I have to," she said softly. She couldn't let herself do this again.

"But uh...have fun in the meantime?" Rin said, recognizing her obsession look.

"Fun?" Kaori repeated, brows furrowing.

"I mean, don't spend all your time trying to figure out how to win next time," Rin offered. "Figure that out next year. You don't have to uphold your family's status and all. You did get second place."

As moment of silence passed between them, in which Kaori worked around the logic he was using. "Fine," she said finally, when she found no holes. It was fairly solid, though that didn't mean she would take all his advice.

"Good," Rin smiled. "Now...uh...do you want to celebrate?"

"By doing what?" Kaori asked, brows furrowing slightly. She was expected to go join her family, but she wasn't interested in doing that, at least not right now.

"Uh…" Rin said thoughtfully. "How about a high-five?"

"A high-five?" Kaori stared at him, making sure she had heard him right, and when she decided she did, she rolled her eyes. "You're ridiculous," she muttered, then raised an eyebrow. "Alright, fine."

"Yes," Rin grinned, giving a little fist pump. Walking closer he held up his hand, giving her a crooked smile.

Rolling her eyes again, Kaori held up her own hand, then slapped his, not entirely sure what the point was in this.

Rin smiled wider as she returned the high-five. "See you around! I'm off to go meet with First Aid."

Kaori's lips twitched, just slightly, then she nodded. "Alright." She ran her fingers in her hair, which was still hanging loose, then turned. She had a feeling she needed to go find her cousin. He was being awfully quiet. She guessed that he was still rather upset about the Rin situation and having to find out how he had. He would just have to get over it.

* * *

This next fight was inspired by Knock Back Nightcore Version

* * *

 _(The Next Day)_

"ALRIGHT FOLKS! THE SECOND YEARS HAVE BEEN GOING AT IT HOT AND FAST. WE'VE BARELY HAD ENOUGH TIME TO SEE SOME OF THESE MATCHES! RIGHT NOW WE HAVE

BANZAN HATTORI IN THIRD PLACE. THIS IS IT! THE MOMENT EVERYONE'S BEEN WAITING FOR! WHO WILL BE THE VICTOR? CLASS B'S, RITSU AKAGI, OR CLASS A'S, JIMIN HIROTA?"

"Wow! I'm so excited! I watched these kids last year and to think I'm one of them now!" Reine squealed happily. "Aah! It's just so exciting! Who's everyone's favorite? I remember Akagi took third place last year and now she's going to be first or second! She's so cool. I hope I can meet her! To think we've been in the same building! I had totally forgotten in my excitement just to be at UA! I want to squeal again, gah this is so amazing! But what's even more amazing is the girl time!" she leaned over, hugging whoever she could reach. Ikeda, Kōmori, Rakugaki, and Kinoshita had all come to sit with her to watch the Second Year's events. "Let's take a selfie!" Reine demanded, making them all lean in. After the picture was taken, she labeled it 'Girl Power' before posting it on her social media. All her friends worldwide could see now!

Yukiko sighed, pulling away after that awkward photo. Her fake smile probably looked more like a grimace, which expressed her feelings. She didn't know why Hanami had dragged her along. Maybe because she had pictures of Akagi strung across her locker. She couldn't help the fact that she admired another intellectual, even if people called her a cheat because it was her quirk. The fact was that she still had to use her brain, and that made her special.

"Alright!" Hinata shouted, fist pumping and throwing up a peace sign for the selfie. "Last battle! Can you guys even believe it? This has been so awesome, like I love our class and all but it's way more thrilling this time believe it or not. Totally cheering for Akagi, I mean Hirota is cool and all, but Akagi is unique you know?"

"Yeah," Kaede agreed. "But let's not forget Hirota was last year's winner. His quirk is unique and none of the others stood a chance against him, except Akagi now. So I think it will be close. We'll really see how each of the students have grown over this time." She was glad to be with the girls, even though she wasn't as girly as some of them, it was a welcomed break from the idiots she usually hung out with. Boys were boys, and especially her friends at times.

Hanami nodded. "I think it'll be Hirota," she said, glancing around for a moment. There were still plenty of Pros and sidekicks, and it was beyond exciting to be so close to was beyond exciting to just be here really. With the absence of pressure, she was able to just enjoy watching and supporting the other students. She also had a good group to hang with, which made it all the more fun.

"And Begin!" Midnight's voice echoed across the stadium.

An older boy with rich green hair with streaks of red through it, took a defensive stance, raising both hands with fingers outstretched towards the girl. Dark green vines twisted, thorns slashing the sleeves of his newly doned PE uniform to pieces. There was cheering, especially among the young femine watchers as his toned biceps were revealed, the vines twisting out of his arms.

 _ **Jimin Hirota. Quirk: By Any Other Name! He produces and controls rose vines from his lower arms! These vines produce thorns and roses that produce a sleeping serum! If you get scratched too many times, or inhale too much pollen, you fall instantly asleep! Beware the pretty flowers!**_

The girl, dodged quickly to the left, her PE shirt flying. She grabbed it, instantly wrapping it around her mouth, tying the sleeves behind her head. She moved easily, dodging the vines with skill and accuracy. Cheers ran along the crowd, sides obviously split over the two.

 _ **Ritsu Akagi. Quirk: Genius! She can instantly understand everything about anything in the manner of seconds! That includes any and all subjects, even down to knowing her opponent's own quirk! However she can only be a genius in two subjects at the same time!**_

"Eek! Here they go!" Reine shouted. "You have this Akagi! Beat his ass! Win the Festival!" She waved her hands excitedly, almost jumping up and down in her seat. This was so exciting! She couldn't believe she was going to see them fight.

Yukiko leaned forward in her seat. As much as she hated being around so many people, the fight was hard to ignore. Second years were really cool, because you could see growth from last year and they were just a year ahead of them. Plus, though she hated to admit it, Hirota was cute like everyone thought he was. She shook herself. Those were silly girly things to think.

"Go Akagi!" Hanami shouted in support. She wasn't as enthusiastic Marseille but she was just as passionate. She had been a fan of Akagi when she had first seen her last year and she was still a fan, perhaps even more now that she was a fellow student. "You've got this!"

"Yeah!" Hinata pumped her fist. The crowd roared as Akagi dodged all of Hirota's vines, twisting herself in a style similar to parkour. Hirota had wrapped himself in vines, careful not to let his own thorns touch him.

Kaede leaned forward, watching with rapt attention. Hirota's vines reached out, red roses blooming along them. Some of the crowd closest began to get drowsy, the instant effect of his flowers. However, Akagi's sweat and now spit soaked shirt filtered out the sleepy pollen. She watched as Akagi grabbed one of his vines, avoiding the thorns, yanking it towards her. Hirota stumbled, but regained his footing as the other vines swooped in behind her.

Just as he did though she was gone. Disappearing among the mass of vines. Looking around warily, he pulled his vines back into his arms. Suddenly she was there beside him, a well placed kick bringing him down to one knee. He whirled, kicking up and hitting her in the knee with his good leg, vines lacing out of his right arm to attack.

She pulled back, backflipping away from the onslaught of thorny vines. She pivoted, coming in close again, in front of Hirota at one point then behind him the next, placing two blows against his shoulder blades. He stumbled forward, the vines lacing around himself to keep him from falling. Vines crept along his back, to protect that weakness.

Dust flew as she skidded backwards, one of the vines catching her in the stomach with a blow. However her foresight had allowed her to unwrap her shirt and grab the dangerous thorn threatening to scrape her skin with a bundle of sweaty cloth.

Again dust swelled and Hirota carefully scanned the area, pulling back most of his vines so she wouldn't have a place to hide. The crowd's cheering grew to a hush, the silence signalling the drawing of the end of the match. All you could hear was the huffing breaths of the two opponents over the loudspeakers.

"Rose of a Thousand Vines!" Hirota shouted, extending his arms as each vine raced to encompass her. Bright red flowers bloomed across them as they stretched out, sleep wafting into the air.

"Quirk Takeover!" Akagi shouted, grabbing the vines and launching herself into the air. She landed on the vines, holding her breath as she started running across them. Knowing the position of each thorn she avoided them with ease and precision.

Hirota seeing what she was doing, started to retract the vines, but hesitated knowing that would bring her closer. He began to separate the vines, spreading them out in hopes she would lose her footing.

The drag of the pollen still affected her, even though she held her breath it still soaked into her skin. Just a little bit further. Akagi increased her speed, pushing past the fatigue. Before Hirota could react she had balanced on one vine, still racing towards him. Before he could put his guard up, she had kicked him full in the face, sending him stumbling backwards. Before he realized, she used the vine he brought up for protection, scratching him across the cheek with it. A line of blood showed bright red against his pale green skin.

Before she could move away, there was a long stripe of red down her arm. One of his thorns successfully dragging across her skin.

Both staggered, hitting the ground standing still. Because his own toxin worked against him, it was only a matter of time before one of them fell. Whoever resisted the best would be declared the winner. Again, a moment of silence. The wind blew through Akagi's long dark blonde hair.

Suddenly, Hirota staggered, eyes still crossed from the kick she had landed. A line of blood ran from his nose mingling with his sweat before dripping off his chin. Akagi straightened as best she could, but the floor was spinning underneath her. Then…

Jimin Hirota hit the ground.

"THERE'S OUR WINNER! CLASS B'S OWN RITSU AKAGI COMING IN FIRST PLACE FOR THE SECOND YEAR'S SPORT'S FESTIVAL!" Present Mic's voice roared above the crowd's cheers.

Ritsu Akagi managed to raise her hand triumphantly into the air before collapsing herself.

"Wow, that fight was thrilling!" Reine squealed. "I can't believe it! Ritsu Akagi won! She's so amazing! Wow! I hope I get to meet her!"

Hanami was on her feet within seconds, cheering loudly. She had known the other girl could do it. Grinning, she collapsed onto her seat again. "That was awesome," she said with a grin. Next year, she would make it further than she did this time. She just had to be faster and she had no doubt that she could do that.

Yukiko nodded shyly. It was pretty great. Maybe next year she could fight in the final rounds. That was, if she could get more comfortable with her quirk. Which was kind of a given considering she wanted to be a hero. Taking a deep breath she glanced down at the the two older students as they were placed on stretchers and carried away. To be so unafraid to use their quirks. It had to be amazing. Maybe she would ask Mr. Kito to teach her how to be unafraid like them.

"That was spectacular," Kaede said thoughtfully. "I'll have to think of ways to improve my skills before the next festival. Maybe I can make it to the final rounds."

"Same," Hinata nodded. "I'm going to bring more paint next time," she grinned. Battling in the final rounds seemed much cooler than it did before watching the second years. "Let's work hard guys, we'll make it further next year!"

* * *

 _(The next day….)_

"These are the very top of the line seats, be happy you were the first people I saw," Yajima adjusted his sunglasses as he sat down. "Only five were left for today. You'll be able to see the Fates fight."

With his black hair flopping over his face, Liam set, arms crossed. He really didn't know how he ended up. He had been with Haruto, then the next thing he knew Rushanido was ushering them to seats. He took comfort in the fact that Anamiya Yun looked somewhat uncomfortable as well, though he didn't think it was because of the same reasons.

Haruto sat back folding his arms. While he didn't appreciate being dragged here by Yajima, he was alright with the good seating. He would be able to watch the Fates, the strongest students in U.A. They were strong and smart and considering his past fights, he needed to learn some things.

Not entirely sure how he ended up without Rin, or Genjiro, or even Kaori, Anamiya tried to relax but found it hard. It was just because he didn't really know any of the students he was now sitting with and being in a situation like this one always made his anxiety spike. That was what had happened out there in the middle of the festival.

"This is so cool," Sutoi said, then grinned at Rushaindo. "Thanks for the seats." Not many people could say they saw the three strongest students in school fight from some of the greatest seats that could be wanted.

"OUR FIRST FIGHT FOR THE THIRD YEAR'S! EVERYONE GIVE A CHEER! THAT'S RIGHT! OUR VERY OWN CLASS A, MITSUKO UNMEI, VERSUS CLASS A, KOTONE IHA!"

A tall girl with long black hair raised her fisted hand as the audience cheered. She was Mitsuko Unmei, one of the Fates and daughter of the Number 3 hero, Big Ben. An all time crowd favorite despite her usual shitty attitude. She took a stance, waiting for Midnight to begin the match.

"Begin!" Came the cry with a snap of Midnight's whip following close behind.

Kotone Iha, while shadowed in the presence of one of the fates, she was nothing to laugh at. Many Pros already were wanting her as a sidekick. She instantly drew a circle in the air with her fingers, a black tear opening up. Jumping inside, she disappeared from the stadium.

 _ **Kotone Iha! Quirk: Rift! By drawing a circle with her hands she is able to jump through into an alternate plane of existence! Everything looks the same there, just without people! By drawing a circle again, she can jump into our world again!**_

The crowd cheered as she vanished, but also because Mitsuko Unmei was completing a set of martial arts moves. This earned her several oohs and ahhs as she jumped up in the air, delivering kicks and punches to the empty air. Suddenly, a golden copy of herself appeared, performing the same sequence she had just completed.

 _ **Mitsuko Unmei! Quirk: Clock of the Past! She can create clones of herself, but only doing something she's done in the past! Then she can manipulate them anywhere she likes! She can control up to five clones at once!**_

Kotone Iha reappeared, dodging the upward kick of the clone, and punching Mitsuko in the chin. The other girl slammed a foot into her chest and Iha went flying backwards, disappearing into a warping pool of black as she made a circle.

And just like that, the fight was on.

* * *

The fights stretched long into the afternoon. Finally it was down to the last two. The Fates, as in the previous year, going to receive all three medals. Present Mic announced the last fight, his voice perhaps slightly less loud after three days of announcing.

"THE FIGHT EVERYONE HAS BEEN WAITING FOR, WHO WILL WALK AWAY THE CHAMPION OF THE THIRD AND FINAL YEAR OF UA'S SPORTS FESTIVAL EVENTS? WILL IT BE CLASS A'S, HIBIKI UNMEI, OR CLASS A'S, TSUBAME UNMEI? IDENTICAL SISTER AGAINST IDENTICAL SISTER! WHO WILL TAKE HOME THE GRAND WINNER'S TROPHY?"

"Begin!"

Hibiki Unmei waved at the crowd before picking a pebble out of her pocket. Holding it out in her hand it morphed, transforming into a thick wooden staff. She held out a hand, beckoning for her sister to begin the fight.

 _ **Hibiki Unmei! Quirk: Changes of the Present! With her quirk she can take any lifeless object and transform it into anything she can clearly imagine it to be as long as it's not heavier that her own body weight!**_

Tsubame Unmei watched her sister's staff. Shadows flickered in her vision and she approached, ducking under a blow before it was even to her. She launched out with an attack countering each of her sister's moves.

 _ **Tsubame Unmei! Quirk: Shadows of the Future! When her quirk is activated she can see up to 20 seconds into the future! This makes her a virtually impossible opponent to beat! A truly formidable quirk!**_

The fight lasted five minutes. Tsubame's all seeing quirk gave her an advantage over her sister's own multi-functional quirk. With that the Sports Festival finished. The medals were given to the two older Fates. The youngest receiving the Winner's Trophy from the Number One Hero, Bishamoten. Just as the ceremonies ended, Present Mic's voice rang out over the crowd again.

"JUST A REMINDER FOR YOU LADIES AND GENTLEMEN ATTENDING THE CHARITY DINNER FOR THE OZARKAKSHI PROJECT, THAT IS TONIGHT AT 7 PM! BE SURE TO BRING YOUR INVITATIONS AND BE READY FOR A DAZZLING DINNER AND AUCTION. ALL FUNDS GOING TO HELP OZARKAKSHI REBUILD! WE WILL SEE YOU TONIGHT!"

* * *

"I'm so offended," Hiroto said. His voice was serious, though the corners of his lips were twitching as if he was fighting a smile. He was. "We're supposed to do stupid shit together and there you are, doing stupid shit by yourself. I can't believe that you didn't include me in this whole 'befriending-the -enemy' scheme. It's gold, pure fucking gold. "

Kaori sniffed, reaching for a drink. It had taken her longer to find him than she wanted to admit to, but she soon realized he was playing with her and that changed her mindset. Her cousin was beyond ridiculous but she had found him, just as she always did. "Befriending Rin wasn't stupid. It was strategical."

"Strategical?" Hiroto asked, voice slightly mocking. What was she doing, trying to justify her decision as if was somehow something other than just being drawn to Nakamaru? His cousin was a genius, yet sometimes, he had to wonder about that. "Strategic isn't staying at staring at Nakamaru like-" He broke off with a yelp as a knife whizzed past him, cutting through the air and barely missing his ear. It ended straight into the wall. "Damn it Kaori, what were you aiming for? My ear?"

Karoi crossed her arms as she strode past him to retrieve her weapon. "He is my friend, Hiroto," she said, the words clipped. "And if I was aiming for your ear, you wouldn't have it right now." She had been expecting this, Hiroto could well be an asshole, but he usually was smarter than this.

FInally, Hiroto gave in and laughed, wiping away the blood from the thin cut she had caused. "I'm serious; I want to meet him sometimes." He had to admit he was rather curious about this boy; something had made Kaori take a chance on him and since she wasn't going to tell him, he would just have to figure it out himself.

Sheathing her knife, Kaori finished her drink, then turned back around. "I have to go get ready for dinner," she said, ignoring what he said. She wasn't going to let Hiroto around him, at least not right now.

"Have fun," Hiroto called after her with a smirk. He was sure she would hate every minute of it, bt so would he. At least he didn't have to go. Oh well. He was certain it would be good for her.

* * *

"Well, that took a lot, but you look really nice," Keoko said, climbing down off her ladder after carefully adjusting the tie around Akio's neck. "What do you think, guys?" she addressed Eizen and Akari.

"I'm being strangled," Akio murmured, reaching up to tug at the tie only to be slapped by Akari.

"He looks very handsome," Akari decided, elbowing Eizen in the ribs. He was prompted with this action to nod his support.

"Now to make sure he's stays," Keoko said, handing white aprons to her friends. They were all in black, as required to be servers.

"He won't leave on my watch," Akari said seriously. Sure the extra credit was nice but keeping Akio from leaving five minutes into the dinner was a bigger priority.

"Good," Keoko said, tying her apron around her waist snugly. "You too Eizen," she glanced sideways at him, having heard no verbal confirmation.

"Right," Eizen murmured, giving Akio an apologetic look, who simply sighed then shrugged. They both knew you didn't argue with Keoko.

"Good, let's go," Keoko nodded, leading them out.

* * *

Not bothering to knock, Kaori barged into the room that Rin was getting ready in. Barefoot, with blue high heels in her hand, she collapsed into a chair. "Are you about ready?"

Shrieking at a pitch he was later ashamed of, Rin jumped into the last leg of his pants. "Kaori!" he said, crouching behind his bed as he buttoned and zipped them. "What are you...uh…" he trailed off, blinking at her.

"What am I what?" Kaori asked, rolling her eyes at the noises he had made. He should have been expecting her.

"Doing in my room?" Rin said, getting up off the floor. "Uh...I mean...it was just kind of sudden. Are you ready?" he asked, hoping to change the subject.

"I'm often in your room," Kaori pointed then nodded. "Of course I am." It took ten minutes to get dressed, five to get her knives strapped in place. This would be a perfect place for trouble.

"Not when I'm dressing," Rin brushed at his white shirt and tie, that he may have borrowed from his uniform.

"You could have locked the door," Kaori pointed out, gazing at the tie with slightly narrowed eyes.

"I thought it was," Rin said. "We should go," he nodded, looking a bit nervous under her scrutiny.

"Are you ready?" Karoi asked, a frown tugging at her lips, just slightly.

"Yes," Rin nodded, glancing down. He knew he didn't have a suit on...like probably everyone else there, but he couldn't exactly afford one either, even to rent.

Kaori nodded after a moment, pulling out her phone and writing a quick text. "You look nice," she said finally.

"Thanks, you do too," Rin smiled, flushing a little.

Putting her phone back into the pocket of her dress, Kaori took a moment to put on her highheels, fingers quick and careful with the straps. "I feel rather ridiculous but it'll be over in a few hours." Dresses were never practical enough for Kaori.

"Yeah," Rin nodded. "But you still look nice."

Kaori shrugged a shoulder as she got her last shoe on. ""Thank you," she said then stood, smoothing out the skirt of her blue dress. "Come on. We don't want to be late."

"Right," Rin said, walking out into the hall.

"Nakamaru!" Reine shrilled. "What on earth are you wearing?" She herself was dressed quite nicely, ready to attend the dinner with her parents. "You are going to go to the dinner as the third place winner with all the other people and heroes in THAT?" She was very glad Tsukinose had decided to text her.

Rin nearly jumped out of his skin. "What did I do?" he blushed, glancing down at his clothes.

Kaori gave the other girl a look. "Help him," she ordered, but if she tried to humiliate Rin, even on accident, then they would be having a different discussion.

"Oh yes, girl!" Reine said, marching over and grabbing Rin's hand and pulling him down the hall. "We are going to fix you up. And fast!"

Rin didn't have time to protest as he was whisked down the halls to Yajima Rushaindo's room. Reine knocked quickly, answered by the young man.

"What's going on?" Yajima asked, surprised to find Marseille, Nakamaru, and Tsukinose at his door.

"We need help,' Reine said, promptly describing Rin's appearance with many exclamations.

Rin shifted, running a hand along the back of his neck, embarrassed. He yelped as Yajima pulled him into the room, shutting the door behind him. After a flurry of clothing, and a choking new tie, he was pushed out into the hall again, looking remarkably different then when he had entered. Including his hair?

Glancing up as the door slammed open again, Kaori found herself speechless for once in her life. "You look...nicer," she said, not entirely sure why she was struggling with words. It was just Rin.

"Thanks," Rin touched his hair, now combed to the side with...hairspray? He tugged at the tie, swallowing hard.

"Hard work, the suit's a bit big but it works compared to what he was wearing," Yajima placed a hand on Rin's shoulder. "We'll need to work on your fashion sense before you enter the hero world.

"I'm really grateful," Rin bowed to Yajima. "I don't think I deserve this…"

"Nonsense, you came in third place in the Sports Festival," Yajima waved at him. "Go, shoo."

Kaori gave Marseille a nod of thanks then turned. "Come on Rin." It would be an interesting experience for them all.

* * *

 **So this next part is...crazy. Basically we got excited so...a lot of canon characters pop up. So these next scenes may seen like an anime movie, but bear with us.**

 **JSYK we are straight shippers too *ducks under flying rotten vegetables* So...please don't hate us for our ships.**

 **So WARNING before you proceed. Alumni is actually an idiot. Having read the manga and Loki being immune to spoilers I, Alumni, have stepped over the bounds of the anime. Basically there's a character included a lot that isn't introduced until the Fourth season of BNHA. So if you don't mind somewhat spoilers read on. just wanted to caution you. So again:**

 **SPOILER ALERT: READ AT YOUR OWN PERIL!**

* * *

"That was really generous of your family, Yaoyorozu."

Pro Hero Shouto Todoroki offered his arm to the young woman stepping out of the dark vehicle. The wind tossed his hair, icy white mixing with flaming red as it dipped over his right eye. He cleared his throat, straightening his tie as if it was a rare sign of nervousness.

Momo accepted his arm with a smile, then straightened gracefully. Her long legs seemed even longer with the black heels she was wearing. "I'm just glad you were able to come tonight," she said softly, looking around as she spoke. To mask the blush she knew would happen if she looked at him, she pretended to be searching for their friends.

"I owe it to the citizens of Ozakakshi, without their help I wouldn't have been able to defeat so many villains," Shouto handed their invitations to the man at the door. "I wanted to thank them."

Momo nodded, waving a hand at Uraraka, who had already arrived. "They'll be grateful for anything you do," she pointed out.

"Well, I appreciate it." Shouto cleared his throat again. "There seem to be a lot of our fellow classmates here."

"Hey, look Bakugou!" Kirishima nudged his friend. "It's Todoroki and Yaoyorozu!"

Bakugou scowled sharply, tingers tightening around the glass he held as he watched the two approach. "I see them, you spikey haired idiot," he snarled.

"I see you are the same as always, Bakugou," Shouto remarked dryly.

Wine splashed from the glass as Bakugou tightened his grip again. "What the hell is that supposed to mean Icy Hot?" he demanded, turning his furious gaze onto his former classmate. He ignored Yaoyorozu's sigh, more interested to see if Todoroki would repeat that.

"I saw Midoriya placed above you in the last ranking." Shouto glanced thoughtfully upward.

"Yeah? Well, I still ranked above _you_ ," Bakugou snapped, gritting his teeth together hard enough to make his jaw ache.

"What do you mean, Bakugou, you had like three or five votes more than him, if that much," Kirishima added to the conversation.

"Shut up," Bakugou shouted, whirling around to face Kirishima. The glass broke the third time he tightened his hold, red wine soaking his hand instantly and pieces of glass sprinkling to the ground.

"You should really stop doing that if you don't want to ruin your suit," Kirishima shook droplets off his shoes. "So, Todoroki, are you and Yaoyorozu dating now?"

"Shut up," Bakugou snarled again, wiping at his shirt with a napkin, expression furious. Why did he hang out with these idiots?

Momo's eyes widened and she instantly felt her face heating. "No," she said quickly.

"No," Shouto agreed almost as quickly.

"Ah, I see how things are," Kirishima grinned, as if let on to some secret. "There are rumors that Bakugou's got his eye on a sidekick in the agency right next to his. I hear she's really pretty but takes no crap from him."

"I do not," Bakugou snapped, giving up on his attempts to clean up. He was wearing black so what the hell did it matter.

"Have you seen any of the others?" Momo asked, quickly changing the subject. She couldn't bare to look Todoroki in the eye as she willed her face to lose its flush.

"Iida is around here somewhere," Kirishima glanced around. "So is Uraraka."

"I saw her when we came in," Momo said, tracing one of the silver bracelets she wore. "But we just got here." She fought the rising blush she could feel.

"We'll go say hello," Shouto glanced at Yaoyorozu.

"We'll see you later," Momo said, waving a hand at Kirishima. Bakugou, as expected, ignored them. None of them had changed much, she noted fondly.

"I wonder how Uraraka is doing under Ryukyu," Shouto said, grateful to leave Bakugou behind. He'd forgotten how explosive the blond could be. Though he had calmed down...to some degree.

Momo nodded her agreement as she searched the room. "I do too. Last time we talked, she said she was learning a lot and was enjoying her work.."

"I am sure she is making a difference in her community," Shouto said, doubting Uraraka could be unhappy doing Hero work.

Nodding, Momo smiled as she saw Uraraka, talking to Tenya. She waved, catching her former classmate's attention. "I have no doubt that she is."

"Yaoyorozu, Todoroki," Tenya nodded with same firm assurance as in years past. "It is good to see you, you've both done such an amazing job since we all graduated."

"Thank you," Momo said, giving Uraraka a tight hug. She had missed the other woman. "You have too, Tenya."

"Thank you, Yaoyorozu," Tenya dipped his head. "It has been a difficult journey filling the shoes of Ingenium, but well worth it."

Momo's gaze softened at those words. "You know you're making him proud." Of that, she was certain and it seemed Uraraka was too, the other woman nodded quickly.

"I appreciate your support," Tenya's eyes shone.

"You'll always have it," Momo said instantly, then looked at Uraraka. "Was Deku not able to make it?"

Uraraka shook her head, glancing briefly at her feet. "No. He's busy working," she said, then managed a smile. "But I promised I would fill him in on everything. He was very sad that he wasn't able to come."

"Well, pass on my congratulations to his current ranking," Shouto added, wondering in what part of the city Midoriya was in.

"Oh, I will," Ochako promised, cheeks growing a little pink. "Whenever I...er...see him again," she blurted, then blushed harder. She was so obvious.

"Look it's our old classmates!"

Shouto looked up slightly surprised to see both Kaminari and Jiro walking up. Last he had heard they were both working for a Hero on a different island.

"I wasn't expecting either one of you tonight," Ochako said, surprised but glad that they had managed to make it tonight.

Kyoka shrugged a shoulder carelessly. "We had to make some arrangements," she explained. "But we definitely think any difficulties would be worth the cause."

"Totally, we wouldn't miss out seeing a bunch of our old classmates!" Denki added, looking around. "Boy there's a lot of us here tonight!"

"I'm sure you've seen Bakugou and Kirishima," Momo said with an amused smile. Something flashed and caught her attention; taking a closer look, her eyes widened. Jiro was wearing a rather colorful engagement ring on her left hand.

"Oh yeah," Denki nodded. "Same as always, believe it or not!"

"What a beautiful ring," Ochako gasped as soon as she saw it. Jiro, expression one of pride, held out her hand so it could be better seen.

"Yeah, he didn't do that bad of a job," Kyoka said with a smirk, playfully punching Denki in the arm wit her other hand.

Denki rubbed the back of his head, looking a bit flushed and embarrassed. "Well, she finally got me to say yes, so I thought I might get her a nice one for all her trouble."

Momo fought back a laugh, but her lips twitched into a smile. "I'm very happy for you both."

"Congratulations," Shouto nodded.

Smiling, Kyoka slipped an arm around her fiance's waist and pressed up against his side. "Thank you," she said seriously. "And we really are glad to see you all."

"Hey look, it's Mr. Aizawa!" Denki pointed out their former teacher. "Shinsou said he would be here tonight! Let's all go say hi."

"Oh, Shinsou is here too?" Ochako asked, not surprised by this. She hadn't seen him, or their former teacher, for a while now, and looked forward to seeing them both.

"Yeah he came with us," Denki said. "We picked him up at the agency before coming."

"Only because you wouldn't stop bugging me about it," Hitoshi muttered, suddenly at Ochako's side. She squeaked, startled, and his expression was somehow amused and apologetic at the same time.

"He needed to get out and have some fun. We tried to make him bring a date but he says he doesn't know anyone," Denki shot him an annoyed look. "I doubt that."

"I don't," Hitoshi repeated, barely suppressing a sigh. Next time that he thought it wise to say he wasn't interested in making friends someone needed to hit him and hard at that because now he had Kaminari and he still wasn't sure how that happened.

Ochako laughed, shaking her head. "Well, either way, we're glad that you came tonight. I'm sure it'll be loads of fun."

Remembering the other reason that he came was Aizawa telling him that if he had to be miserable than so should he, Hitoshi didn't push away another sigh. He caught himself before he tugged at his collar, not wanting to look as uncomfortable as he felt.

"Evening," Aizawa said, ignoring his sidekick's look of dismay. He had meant what he said. If he had to suffer through this, so did Shinsou, rather either one of them wanted to or not.

"Mr. Aizawa," Shouto turned to his former teacher.

"Hito!" There was a whirl of white hair as a young girl nearly knocked Shinsou over with her sudden embrace.

Instantly a smile broke out on Hitoshi's features and he returned the embrace, though it was a little less enthusiastic. "Eri," he greeted her. "You look lovely." He wasn't surprised that she had come, as all three of the people she would have stayed with had come tonight themselves.

"Do you like my dress?" Eri held out the sides of her light blue dress, twirling so the skirt billowed. "It sparkles."

Hitoshi nodded seriously, making sure she understood how important this question was to him. "It's beautiful. You made a very wise decision."

"It's one of my favorite colors," Eri touched her hair, falling in stylish ringlets down to her waist. "Green is my favorite color, then blue, then red like apples."

Nodding again, Hitoshi ruffled her hair fondly. "All are very good choices."

"Not my hair," Eri made a face. "Dad made it really pretty."

"Not one word," Aizawa said, catching the expression on Shinsou's face and knowing exactly what he was going to say. Unsurprisingly, he didn't even look sheepish at being caught, simply shrugging his shoulders with a smirk.

"Let's find tables together," Denki suggested. "It will make the evening so much better if we all get to catch up!"

Momo nodded her agreement. "I have some time before my speech." It wasn't something she was looking forward, but the duty rested upon her shoulders as the representative of her family tonight.

Aizawa sighed softly. He didn't think he would be able to get out of this, as Eri was already in conversation with Uraraka. Something caught his eye, and he turned slightly, noticing Kito leaving. Was he bailing already? He couldn't blame him if he was.

* * *

Daisuki Kito tugged at his tie, watching the guests enter, handing lovely invitations to the doormen. Dialing a number on his phone he waited until the person on the other end picked up. There was a long silence, before a 'hello?' was spoken.

"Everything's ready."

* * *

Akio was beyond miserable and if Keoko, and Akari, hadn't decided that they just had to get that offered extra credit, he would have left long ago. But they had, and he knew that any attempted escapes were pointless; he could get by Eizen, who had been coaxed to come as well, but Akari and Keoko seemed to be just everywhere. He shifted, trying to get his legs a little straighter without kicking either Rin or Kaori, who were both sitting with him. Glancing around, he spotted some of his siblings. Hitoshi was the only one who was making his distaste obvious.

"Wow, so many Pro Heroes," Rin nearly melted. "There are four from the top ten right now," he wiped his forehead. "A lot of UA alumni! This is spectacular," he sighed. This was almost worth missing the extra credit, which he was still bemoaning the loss of.

"Spectacular," Kaori repeated absently. Not the word she would use. Dangerous, stupid, something along the lines. This was perfect if one wanted an abushment. How many situations would there be with so many Pro Heros together like this? Of course it was highly descure, probably the most secure in the city, yet...yet what? She couldn't place her finger on it

"What's wrong?" Rin asked, glancing at Kaori.

"Paranoia," Kaori said by way of explanation. It was an illogical emotion, but the only logical explanation.

"We are in a room surrounded by heroes," Rin said. "Why do you have paranoia?"

Kaori shrugged, reaching for her glass. "Wouldn't it be a perfect place to attack?" With the right amount of skill, no place was truly that secure.

"I mean sure but," Rin stared at her. "This is a room filled with Pro Heroes. If anyone's stupid enough to attack they are going to get hauled off before they can strike the first punch. Plus, UA. has the most security coming in and out."

"If they're caught," Kaori said as she took a sip. "If you try an attack on a place like this, you have to be desperate enough to accomplish your goal and that means, there would be nothing off limits in terms of actions to take. I could do it if I wanted to. I would slip inside, posing as wait staff perhaps. I would just have to find something to disable all the Heros, though I'm not sure what that would be off the top of my head. Perhaps a gas. But to have them helpless, at my mercy, would be far easier than you think. But of course, I wouldn't do that and I have yet to find a villian that smart."

"That's some pretty genius thinking," Ritsu Akagi said as she slid into her seat at the table. "But the heroes aren't exactly helpless and the waitstaff are students. The only exception is the door staff and the musician, both thoroughly checked out. But I do applaud your thinking. I'm Ritsu Akagi, Second Year. You must be the second place winner of the First Years. Nice to meet you."

Kaori studied her for a moment then took another sip of her drink. "Things can slip through the cracks, happens quite often actually, and there is always the fact money goes a long way. Any of these people could be part of a plot that could bring down the hero society to our knees. Believing us safe, even in a situation like this, is both arrogant and foolish. We shouldn't let the concept of safety blind to possible issues. That's where things can become fatal."

Akio's gaze went from girl to girl, then he looked at Rin. He needed to prevent Kaori from making this dinner even worse than it already was.

"That's a lot of thoughts and you do have some good points," Ritsu nodded. "But thinking like that is going to leave you very paranoid and you won't be able to walk down the street without looking over your shoulders or trust in others."

Rin glanced confused from girl to girl. This was getting confusing. He glanced back at Akio shrugging helplessly.

Kaori huffed a laugh, though it lack humor. "I trust but I also understand the very depths of human nature. Convinced of one thing, they can easily be blinded to another, which might be far more serious. Vigilance never hurts anyone but foolish beliefs do, more often than not."

Wondering if he could go find a sibling, or one of his friends even, Akio sighed, slumping in his chair. Of course she was going to get into some sort of discussion like this while they should be eating.

"You're an interesting one, Tsukinose," Ritsu tilted her head.

"This is real bitchy of you, Akagi," Hirota said, smacking her across the back of her head. "Why don't you have a nice dinner with the First Years?" He looked unimpressed out from underneath his bangs of green streaked with red.

Banzan Hittori sat down. "Sorry about our friend. She's a little argumentative and likes debating. I'm Banzan Hittori and this is Jimin Hirota. We're from Class 2A and 2B." he smiled and waved with a kind, friendly manner.

"Akio Saito," he said, feeling as if he should offer some kind of thanks to show his gratitude but he also didn't want to get on Kaori's bad side, which he thought was perhaps far too easy than it should be. "Pleasure."

Giving them both an evaluating glance, Kaori didn't bother saying anything. Instead, she took another sip of her drink.

"I'm Rin Nakamaru," he waved, smiling at the two newcomers with an air of relief. "And this is Kaori Tsukinose," he added, realizing she wasn't going to introduce herself.

"And we are the Unmeis," A girl in a pink dress said brightly. "I'm Hibiki and these are my sister, Mitsuko and Tsubame. We are glad to join you tonight. Everyone did such a great job in their Events!"

Akio nodded, dipping his head as he tried to pull his long limbs closer inwards. He ended up hitting one of his knees on the underneath of the table, which made him curse under his breath. "You three did as well."

"Thank you," Tsubame nodded.

Giving the newcomers only fleeting attention, Kaori kept surveying the room, frowning slightly.

* * *

Kobayashi took a long drag of his cigarette, then exhaled into the quiet night. Smoking always calmed his nerves, and right now, he had a lot of them. He was supposed to play for over a hundred and sixty individuals that were connected to hero work in one way or another and there was a lot of pressure to make sure this night was unforgettable. Taking one last drag, he snuffed his cigarette out. It was show time.

"Night night." A low voice sung from the darkness. Golden light twinkled, swirling around Kobayashi looking light tiny grains of golden sand.

"What the hell?" Kobayashi gasped before collapsing into darkness.

"Well, that was too easy," a figure stepped into the light. Picking up the musician's body he moved it away. Taking it into a dark building he dumped the body beside that of the one, who was taking invitations at the front door moments before. "There, you go. Break a leg."

"Thanks," Kouki's yellow eyes gleamed as he straightened his tuxedo, brushing off a piece of lint. "I'm sure tonight's performance will be one they will never forget."

* * *

"Ah the Number Two Hero is here tonight," Tenya noted, seeing her talking to the number five hero Hawks and the promising young hero, Bubble Girl.

"I wouldn't have expected anything different," Ochako said, eyes wide as she stared in her direction. This would probably be the most disappointing part of missing for Deku.

"Yes, she told me she would be coming," Shouto stirred his tea, sugar dissolving in the pale brown liquid.

"The bigger the names here, the more publicity," Momo said, glancing in the direction of the Number Two Hero as well. "And that's exactly what's needed." A soft noise drew her attention away and she saw Shinsou struggling with his tie across from their table. The look Aizawa gave him instantly had him dropping his hand back into his lap. Shaking her head with amusement, she looked away again. "I hope we raise a lot of money tonight."

"I do as well," Shouto agreed. "Ozakakshi has progressed rapidly, but with these funds they would be able to finish any construction or repairs before next winter."

Momo took a sip of her wine. "I fully plan of forming another event if this doesn't do as well as expected." Ozakakshi had suffered so much. "Oh, there's Hado and Amajiki." She waved at the two that were sitting several tables away and after a moment, Hado returned the gesture, seeing her.

"Wassup, fam?" Camie stopped at the table. "It's so lit seeing you all here. Yo, defs cool seeing you around again, Todoroki."

"It's always good to see you, Utsushimi," Jiro said from where she was currently sitting on Kaminari's lap.

"Totes back at you," Camie grinned at the other girl.

"It is good seeing you too, Utsushimi," Shouto looked up at the other girl. He'd never been able to understand her, ever since they first met at the Remedial classes.

"How's my newest baby doing for you, Todoroki?" Momo jumped as Mei Hatsume seemingly appeared from nowhere, somehow ending up between her and Todoroki. Even though she was dressed up more than usual, she still had goggles strapped to her head and Momo was certain she had never seen so much grease...ever.

"Oh," Shouto glanced down at his wrists as if expecting to see the regulator there. "It works quite well, an accurate temperature every time."

"Lol, Hatsume and I came hoping we would get some numbers from some old friends," Camie threw up a peace sign. "YOLO you know. Well I was hoping to like get yours but looks like you're already in a ship. Gotta say, you could be a OTP someday."

Momo's eyes instantly widened as she realized what exactly was being said. "Oh, no, we're...Shouto and I...we're just...we're friends."

OTP? Shouto glanced at Momo wondering how those words prompted that kind of response. He glanced away, "I believe my work number is public, if you ever need assistance on a job you should be able to reach me there."

"Not like that." Mei patted his arm. "Have any of you seen Kendo? I have some new babies I think she'll love." She loved events like this; she was able to freely show off her many talents.

"I think she and Monoma are sitting with Kirishima and Bakugou," Tenya pointed in their general direction.

"Thank you." Mei turned then spun around quickly. "Tenya! Meetup with me afterwards. I have some stuff to show you. You'll love them, I promise."

"Oh yes, of course," Tenya nodded, though beads of sweat gathered at the edges of his forehead. Even though Hatsume had improved by leaps and bounds it was still hard to forget her flops.

Cackling, Mei turned again. "Come up, Camie," she called, working her way through the crowd again. She had business to do.

"Hello dear!" Emi Fukukado wrapped her arms around Aizawa's shoulders. "Good to see you here."

Aizawa groaned, trying to shake her off though his attempts didn't produce anything. "Emi," he muttered.

She burst into a fit of laughter, ruffling his hair and straightening. "I thought I would see you here."

Sighing, Aizawa motioned to the empty chair that was beside his. "Have a seat," he said, as if he hadn't purposefully left it open for her if she was able to make it. Because clearly he hadn't.

"So thoughtful!" Emi tucked her cocktail dress under her as she sat down.

"Dad," Eri whispered.

"Hm?" Aizawa turned away from Eri at the soft call of his name.

"I have to go," Eri whispered even softer. "I saw the bathroom coming in, can I go by myself?"

Aizawa hesitated, not entirely sure if he was comfortable with this or not, but relented. "Alright," he said, deciding if she didn't come back within a certain amount of time, he would send Emi after her.

"Thanks," Eri smiled, getting up gracefully and walking towards the double doors at the end of the room. She reached up to push one open, but at that moment the second swung open. She stared up at the man who entered. He was dressed nicely, but slouched forward slightly and his mop of brown hair hanging over his eyes. "Here you go," he held the door open for her. "Thank you," Eri slipped through. She glanced back as the door eased shut. The man tilted his head, catching her gaze. Gasping, Eri hurried down the hall. His eyes looked scary.

* * *

 **Hey everyone! Aaah the drama! *faints dramatically* But back to business! so the Villains are about to attack a charity dinner full of Pro Heros, sidekicks, and students. Are de stupid or do they have a plan? Find out more next time!**

 **Also quicker chapter, mainly because some of this was prewritten.**

 **Hope you liked it! See you next time!**

 **P.S. Discord (again) Nightcore Version inspired thus scene.**


	26. Chapter 24

_Reviews with Alumni and Loki_

 _Supreme Kai of Booty ~ Lol! Well more action with this chapter!_

 _gold crown dragon ~ Beautiful food comparisons! Sounds good!_

 _Starblitz1312 ~ No problem, life is busy! There were a lot of characters lol! She'll get her chance to shine!_

 _Attackin ~ Thank you! We are glad that seeing the "old" characters again was fun!_

 _LifeisBeautiful17 ~ Thanks! Yep, more villain activities in the chapter!_

 _Guest ~ Now we can never unsee that..._

 _61394 ~ True...this chapters will reveal it all!_

* * *

"I can't believe you are making me wear this thing," Izumi shifted, the black dress clinging to her

body.

"We're supposed to be blending in," Yoshi murmured, watching their surroundings carefully. She didn't want to risk anything ruining their plans.

"Something more loose and more decent might have been an option," Izumi took a sip of her wine.

"Stop complaining," Yoshi dismissed, her expression revealing how much she didn't care that Nagashi wasn't comfortable.

"I'm just stating the obvious," Izumi stared over the rim of her glass at the room full of Heroes.

Sighing, Yoshi didn't otherwise reply.

Izumi turned her gaze to the side, "Looks like they are serving. It's almost time."

* * *

"Oh! It's time to start serving," Keoko called the orders from the head server. "Let's do this 1A!"

Akari quickly pushed back her hair then straightened. "I'm ready." Getting extra credit and meeting Pros, all the while keeping Akio in line? This was going to be such a great night.

"Yeah," Hinata pumped her fist, grabbing the serving cart and whisking out the door before Sutoi could stop her. The room was dazzling. Pro Heroes and rich families all in one room around round tables waiting for the gourmet meal. The stacked glasses on the cart shook dangerously and she realized that maybe she should be a bit more careful with the crystal.

"If they drop, I'm going to say I don't know you," Sutoi teased, reaching over to steady the cart some. He could practically hear the glass already breaking and he was positive that Aizawa would take away all the extra credit they were getting tonight, and even more.

"Yeah," Genjiro said in a hushed whisper, having reached out and absorbed the force that would have knocked the glasses to the floor. "We are all going to fail if we cause a scene."

"We aren't going to cause a scene," Hikari said firmly behind her own cart, straightening as she looked around, trying to decide what they needed to do. She wasn't about to let any of them mess this up.

"Right we have to be dignified," Keoko said in a not so soft, hushed whisper.

Not entirely thrilled about this, Eizen just sighed, pushing his own cart forward. At least he wasn't in Akio's position.

"What are you doing here?" Genjiro glanced at her cart. "I mean...its not that you aren't welcome," he ran a hand along the back of his neck. "It's...I mean you have to have the highest scores in the class. Why would you need extra credit?"

Hikari knitted her brows. "Just in case," she said after a moment. "Besides, I don't see anything wrong with getting as many points as I can."

"Right," Genjiro smiled, giving her a thumbs up. "Leave it to our Class Rep to show us the way."

"That's Creati," Akari gasped, grabbing Keoko's arm in excitement.

"Yeah!" Keoko's voice spiked, but quieted when Eizen tapped her. "And look! There's the Number 2, 4, 8, and 9 here!"

"I need to serve them," Akari said, breathless, her eyes wide against her face. "But I don't think I can be anywhere close to them."

Eizen shook his head, wondering if perhaps he wasn't just here to supervise Akio, but the girls as well. He sighed, brushing back his dark hair, then nudged Keoko. "Come on, let's go."

"Right, handing out glasses," Keoko nodded.

Sutoi reached for several of one of the carts, then grinned. "It's Reine," he said, directing this to Hinata. Their friend had said something about coming with her parents, and there she was, not a handful of feet away.

Hinata quickly pushed the cart in that direction. "Reine!" she hissed loudly, waving.

Sutoi followed quickly. "Hey," he said, his voice at a normal volume as he knew she wouldn't hear over the crowd.

Reine saw them and stood up, face lighting up with joy. She excused herself, before rushing over in her heels. "Hinata! Sutoi!" she greeted them.

"Having fun? Sutoi asked with a grin, offering her one of the glasses had had. He was so far.

"Thank you!" Reine took it gingerly. "I'm having so much fun! My parents invited me to come! There are so many Pros here! It's absolutely amazing! You should come over to our table and meet my parents! Have you seen the gorgeous concert grand piano?"

Sutoi glanced at Hinata. He felt like they needed to be focusing on earning that extra credit, but he would like to meet them.

"Of course we would like to meet your…" she trailed off, seeing Mr. Aizawa. "Actually we better do glasses."

"You can just blame me," Reine grabbed both of their hands. "Come on!"

Deciding that was completely fine, Sutoi grinned at Hinata, shrugging helplessly. They could never say no to her.

Hinata grinned, brushing her apron. She wondered what Reine's parents would be like. They must be fabulous from what Reine spoke of them like.

"Momma, Papa, these are my friends," Reine brought them over to the table, gingerly waving at Hinata and Sutoi. "Rakugaki and Daitenshi."

Her father rose first, a huge smile spread across his features. "How do you do? I'm Rafael Marseille, Reine's proud papa! It's good to meet her friends! I know we didn't have a chance to meet at the games, you did very well out there! All of you! But I'm especially proud of my daughter! And this lovely young woman she's taken after is my wife, Angeline."

"Pleased to meet you!" the woman rose, coming forward and grabbing the two by the shoulders, one at a time, and kissing their cheeks. "I'm so glad you've made friends with my Reine!"

"It's nice to meet you," Sutoi said with a grin. He already liked them both. "Reine's a good friend already."

"Good to meet you too," Hinata said after she bowed. "Reine's great! And uh...thank you!"

"We're working, but maybe we can find some time to come visit," Sutoi said, sure they would have a break sometime tonight.

"Yeah," Hinata nodded.

"Do please!" Reine nodded. "I won't keep you anymore! Have fun! See you around!"

Sutoi gave her another grin, then turned, remembering at the last minute to quickly give her parents their glasses, before turning. "Come on, Hin. We're doing great already."

"Right, Bye," Hinata waved at Reine and her parents.

* * *

"I'll be right back," Rin said, standing up after taking a drink of water. Their food was being served but it looked like they wouldn't be getting their plates until a little bit later.

"Where are you going?" Kaori looked up, bored, as she took a drink. She could entertain herself only so much by watching the others around them.

"I'm going to say hi to Genjiro," Rin said. "I think he's in the kitchen. It will only be a minute. Do you want to come?"

Kaori considered it for a moment, then shrugged. "Alright," she agreed as she stood. She didn't bother getting her heels back on, having kicked them off underneath the table. "Let's go.

"Alright," Rin nodded. "Let's go!"

Adjusting her dress, Kaori joined him. "Lead the way."

Rin excused himself from the table, getting up and moving quietly towards the door to the kitchen. Once inside he blinked, looking around at the cooks and students.

Not really sure why she joined him but figuring it would be better than sitting at that table, Kaori scanned the room quickly. "There he is," she said, spotting him easily.

"Genjiro!" Rin waved, avoiding a cart a class 2b student was pushing.

Hikari glanced up from where she was loading her cart again then turned to Genjiro, who was focused on seeing how many things he could stack. "You have visitors."

"Oh hi!" Genjiro waved.

Scanning the room again, Kaori went over, inspecting one of the plates. She was getting rather hungry.

"Wow, it's really busy here," Rin said, walking over to Genjiro, leaving Kaori behind. "Is Anamiya here?"

"No," Hikari said, doubting Genjiro would know. If she didn't know any better, she would think he was actually having fun doing this. He really should take things more seriously.

"I think he decided to stay in," Genjiro said. "I think Rushaindo wore him out dragging him around."

"Probably," Kaori agreed, joining them. She had stolen some tofu with crab sauce and was munching on it, pleased with her find.

"Katou can you help me with these pans?" Akari called from across the kitchen, hands full.

"Oh right, excuse me," Genjiro hurried off.

"Where did you get that?" Rin pointed at the tofu.

Kaori pointed. "There," she said, leaning against the counter.

"Looks good, I'll have to try," Rin said.

"It's not bad," Kaori said with a shrug as she went back for more. "The sauce is a little thick though." Her mind ran quickly over options on how to make it better as she took another bite.

"Culinary expert too?" Rin grinned. "I'm going to say bye to Genjiro, then we better head back out."

Kaori sniffed. "I know how to cook," she pointed out. Of course she did. It wasn't her favorite thing to do but she could do it. A sudden crash had her looking up to find Seishin on the floor, pans everywhere around her.

"I'm so sorry," Akari said, scrambling to pick them back up as a blush quickly began spreading over her face.

"Here," Rin offered her a hand. In his haste another set of pans were sent to the floor.

"Hey what the hell were you doing?" Rokuro yelled, having jumped at the sudden crashes. "You shouldn't even be here Nakamaru!"

"Hey, the music is starting," Hinata turned towards the door. "I hear they have a famous pianist out there."

Knitting her brows together slightly, Kaori took her snack and moved to the door as well. A famous pianist? She hadn't heard anything about this.

* * *

"I'll be right back," Momo said softly to Todoroki, reaching for her bag off the table.

"Alright," Shouto nodded.

Smiling, Momo stood, taking her bag with her as she went the doors. She was sure that she had seen the restroom this way. After a few moments of wandering down the hall, she located the door. She would have to hurry so she wouldn't miss out on dinner.

Eri jumped as the door swung open. The soap washed away, creating huge bubbles in the sink. "Oh, hello Miss Yaoyorozu," she said, trying not to look so nervous.

Blushing a little, Momo took a moment to examine herself in the mirror. "You know you can call me Momo, Eri."

"Oh yes," Eri smiled, though it was a little strained. "Momo."

"Thank you," Momo said, giving her what she hoped was a reassuring smile as she drug through her bag for lipstick. Finding it, she popped it open.

"U.A. is a safe place...right?" Eri glanced over at Momo.

"Of course it is," Momo said, smearing the red across her lips.

Eri fell silent, staring at the mirror, the water running over her hands.

"What is it?" Momo paused, glancing at the young girl through the mirror. She looked troubled and Momo wasn't sure what might the cause be.

"I saw someone...and...they had bad eyes," Eri murmured.

Momo froze. "What do you mean?" she asked softly. Something about the girl's words sent a chill up her spine.

"He went in...his eyes were bad...like…" Eri's voice grew so quiet it almost couldn't be heard. "Like Overhauls eyes."

Momo felt the blood instantly rush from her face. "Where did he go, Eri?" she asked, trying to keep her voice calm.

"Inside the room," Eri looked up at Momo, eyes wide.

Swallowing hard, Momo made a quick decision as she slid the lipstick back into her bag. "Eri, I'm going to need you to stay here."

"I don't want to stay," Eri clenched her fists. "I want to be with Dad and Hito."

"It could be dangerous," Momo said softly, even though she had a feeling that there was no possibility about it.

"Dad and Hito have been teaching me," Eri looked up at Momo, determination replacing her fear. "I'm strong."

Momo wasn't at all comfortable with this, especially as she had no idea what was out there, but she also knew how stubborn Eri was and they didn't have time to argue. "Alright," she relented. "Stay close to me, alright?"

"I will," Eri nodded firmly.

Hoping it would turn out to be nothing, Momo reached for the girl's hand. Once she had securely grasped it, she took her heels off, sliding them into the bag as well. The removal of them would both give her more speed and keep her as quiet as possible.

Eri glanced at her, before removing her own shoes. She preferred to be barefoot anyways. Her heart thudded rapidly, adrenaline and dread mixing dangerously.

"This way," Momo said softly, opening the door slowly and listening closely as she swung her back over her shoulder. There wasn't anything that could be used in a fight in it, but it held her phone and she had a feeling that might be useful. Her heart was beating rapidly with both worry and fear.

Eri nodded, hurrying down the hall with Momo.

"What's the rush?" Kito asked, shoving his phone in his pocket.

Momo startled, instantly stepping in front of Eri. When she saw who it was, she relaxed a fraction. Kito, she thought his name was. She didn't know his Quirk but he was a teacher. "We think we might have trouble."

"Trouble…?" Kito frowned. "What do you mean?"

"It might be nothing," Momo said, trying to reassure Eri because she knew it wasn't likely to be that. "But Eri saw someone."

"Someone?" Kito asked. "Only people with invitations are allowed through the gates. Did she see a villain?"

Momo gave him a long look but took a moment to reply. "You and I both know that with the right Quirk, anyone can do whatever they want to," she said evenly. "Invitation or not."

"True, but surely U.A.'s securities aren't breached that easily," Kito sighed. "Where did you see him?"

One wouldn't think but it also wouldn't have been the first time. Sighing herself, but glad at least he was entertaining them, Momo stepped to the side so Eri was able to speak.

"He went inside the room," Eri looked up at the strange man. "He had bad eyes, like a Villain."

Kito frowned, "Why would Villains attack a gathering of so many Heroes, especially when there are many high ranking ones?" He glanced down as if trying to puzzle things out. "We shouldn't cause a scene. Could you point out the man?"

Eri nodded, "I could!"

"Good, then could both of you come with me?" Kito asked.

Momo took Eri's hand again. "Of course," she said. She wouldn't be anywhere else.

"Alright," Kito nodded, starting to spread his quirk out just in case. "Then let's…." He was interrupted by a shrill scream coming from the hall. Above the speakers buzzed and piano music drifted down upon them. Eyes wide Kito pushed his quirk to the limit. "Come on!" He yelled, starting at a run down the hall.

Momo instantly followed, black curls bouncing with every frantic step. What was going on out there? Whatever it was, she couldn't shake the feeling that it was a lot worse than she could ever imagine.

Kito ran down the hall, throwing the door open. Making sure not to lose Momo or the girl he stared at the chaos around him. Quirks had been activated everywhere. Heroes were attacking Heroes, others hid under the tables, some were screaming, pulling at their hair or clothes, there were others stretched out on the floor or rocking in corners. What was going on? His eyes drifted up, tonight's spokesman banging his head against the wooden platform. His gaze landed on the pianist, playing a delicate, slow piece, fingers dancing over the keys. Bright yellow eyes gleamed beneath locks of hair. Beside the piano stood two women, unaffected by the madness around them. "Is that him?" He pointed at the pianist.

"It is," Eri shrank back, clutching Momo's hand. "What's going on?"

Momo couldn't find the words to reply through the waves of horror that washed over her. She had never seen such...violence...before and she felt ill as another wail broke through the crowd.

"I have to stop him, stay close," Kito ordered. "My quirk isn't working for some reason, but you are still alright." He glanced back at them. "Maybe you needed to be inside the zone before they activated the quirk."

Not entirely sure what his Quirk was, Momo realized that if his wasn't working, hers wouldn't be either. Damn it. "That must be it," she said, unconsciously searching for Shouto.

"Look my quirk is Deadzone," Kito said. "All quirks fail inside my radius. I've got it at maximum now but I can only hold it at 100 feet for 20 minutes. I think if I let you out you will go insane like everyone else here. We'll have to take out the Villain and then secure everyone."

Her mouth suddenly dry, Momo swallowed hard. They had twenty minutes. "Alright," she agreed, turning to face him. "I think the two women are protecting him so we have to get through them first." Somehow, she forced her focus away from the screams and sobs that echoed around her and on the task at hand. There was no use worrying now.

"Their quirks aren't protecting them," Kito frowned, trying to take everything in.

As the dresses that they were wearing left little, if anything, to the imagination, Momo knew neither had any weapons. "They seem confident without them." She flinched as a table was suddenly flipped over.

A man with a sheathed katana wearing a dark green trench coat stood balanced on the edge of the table before jumping down in front of them. Behind them a girl rolled up on a skateboard, pale blue hair spiked on the top, the rest stuffed in a red scarf. Both had a red dragon curled around their eyes, body running down their noses to their chins, with a gold crown around its head.

"That's why they are so confident," Kito backed away a step. "Those are expert fighters. The women aren't the guardians, these are. Creati, how are you at hand to hand combat?"

"Good enough," Momo said, eyeing the red dragon marks as she spoke. They had to be part of the notorious Tatsugami clan. Damn it.

"What do I do?" Eri asked, trying to find her Dad or Hito. They would make things better.

"Stay between us," Kito ordered. He faced the man, eyeing the katana. The Tatsugami Clan made things even worse. The villains on the stage were obviously from the League, he'd seen the blue haired woman before. This meant there was some sort of affiliation. Without a word the man jumped Kito. Swinging out of the way, Kito lashed out, aiming at the man's exposed sides. His knuckles met the sheath of the katana and the man swung a kick at Kito's head.

He was a Pro Hero so Momo had to trust that he knew how to take care of himself; her first priority was to keep Eri safe. She wouldn't let anything happen to her, no matter what. Turning her attention away from the fight between the men, she found her attention on the girl. She waited, not entirely sure what to expect and praying her hand-to-hand combat skills would be enough.

The girl smirked before coasting closer on the skateboard. Behind her a bo staff extended and suddenly she jumped, the skateboard slamming into Creati.

Dodging in hopes she avoid the entire blow, it still managed to clip her side. Hissing as it made her skin sting, Momo quickly positioned herself back in front of Eri. She hadn't been prepared for something like that but next time, she would.

Landing, the girl used the bo staff as a guide, swinging around it and lashing out with it at Creati's legs.

Momo jumped over the staff, then reached down to grab it, jerking it hard. She hoped to at least get the girl off balance.

The girl twisted, landing a kick in Creati's shoulder. Using the momentum she jumped back, landing on her skateboard. She tossed the collapsed bo staff into the air, catching it as it sprung into shape again.

Breathing heavily, Momo watched, not realizing how much she relayed on her Quirk until now. After this, that would have to change. She refused to be as helpless as she was now. Quickly looking around, her heart skipped a beat as she saw something that she could use. Making a quick decision, she lunged to the side, grabbing a forgotten tray from the floor. She used it as a shield, blocking the bo staff the night time it was used.

The blow resounded on the metal, though the girl didn't seem to notice. She quickly grabbed the edge of the tray, flipping up and aiming a blow at Creati's head with her skateboard.

Momo dodged, then slammed the tray into the back of one of the girl's legs. She had to get her away from that skateboard.

Grinning, the girl lifted the leg, grabbing the board with her free hand and twisting as she spiraled to the ground. Spinning the bo staff, she seemed to be waiting on Creati.

Realizing what she was wanting, Momo refused to react, instead waiting on the girl. It gave her a minute or two to come up with a plan that might give her the upper hand in this situation.

Suddenly she wheeled to the side, just as Kito staggered backwards the man with the katana leapt over him and attacked Momo from behind.

Kito lunged at the katana wielder, but just as he did, the girl's skateboard hit him in the ribs and shoved him backward. He barely blocked the bo staff hurling towards his jaw.

Wishing she had something better but knowing it was the best she could do, Momo slammed her tray as hard as she could into the katana wielder's shoulder. She heard a grunt of pain but couldn't chance a look to see what had happened to her companion. Probably something to do with that skateboard.

The man shoved the katana down, digging the sheathed blade into her stomach before rolling off to the side.

Gasping, Momo almost doubled over. It didn't hurt nearly as badly as it would have if the blade had been unsheathed but it still stole her breath. Forcing herself to only take a moment, she straightened quickly, holding the tray as defensively as she could.

He straightened, flipping the katana in his right hand. The dragon stared coldly from his forehead, gold eyes visible under the chandelier. He suddenly attacked, with a series of kicks too fast for the eye to keep up with.

Momo managed to avoid some of the blows, but not all and after one quick kick against her hand, she dropped the tray; it clattered to the ground several steps away. Wincing as pain shot through her fingers, she hoped they weren't broken but she didn't have time to figure that out now, she grabbed the first thing she was able to reach, a broken champagne flute, and slammed it into his ankle when he got close to her again.

Hissing, the man pulled back, blood dripping across his boot. Raising the katana, he attacked again, this time intending to shatter the flute in her hand.

Very aware of the damage it would cause to her hand if he did that, Momo tossed it back to the ground and grabbed a lid that went to a serving plate. At least she had hurt him; she had began to think they were on something and neither would be able to be slowed down.

Unsheathing the katana, the man swung clashing against the lid, the man pulling back and swinging at her exposed legs. Fighting in a dress couldn't be easy, even if she had removed her heels.

Grateful that she had worn a short dress, something longer would have made fighting impossible, Momo lashed out with the metal lid, aiming at the hand he was holding his weapon in. Her target was met but not before the sword drew a gash on her leg. She stumbled at the sudden and sharp pain, feeling blood quickly begin rolling down her leg, but managed to keep on her feet, slamming the lid on his hand again, this time harder.

The man turned to the side, sheathing the katana again. Shaking his hand for a moment, he simply didn't move, watching the girl with the skateboard attack Failsafe.

What was he doing? Momo frowned, keeping her weight off her injured leg as much as possible. She could feel blood pooling around her foot and while the sensation was naustating, she did her best to ignore it.

"Momo?" Eri whimpered. She had been trying to stay out of everyone's way. The blood scared her. Why couldn't she find her Dad or Hito?

"It's alright, Eri," Momo murmured, even though she really wasn't sure. They seemed to be at some sort of stalemate, though she wasn't sure why, and now that she was no longer fighting, it was becoming increasingly hard to ignore the chaos around them. She had never before seen such disaway, not like this. She could do nothing but hope she could find Shouto and soon.

"I'm losing control!" Kito shouted as the fight dragged on, throwing off the skateboard. "We have to get you out of here and request backup! You can't be here if my range lowers!" He didn't care if both of the Dragons heard him or not, he could get away and somehow he doubted that more than one would follow. The League wasn't known for training their underlings in hand to hand combat.

"How do we do that?" Momo took a chance and slammed her weapon against the man. She had no idea how they could get out without being followed by both. He stumbled, so she figured that had helped some.

"NOW!" Kito shouted, kicking the girl's skateboard out from under her. Grabbing Eri's hand he slung a full champagne bottle, spraying the man with the liquid before throwing it full in his face. He pushed Creati forward, pulling the little girl tight against him.

As soon as she knew he had Eri, Momo took off as fast as she was able to with her leg that shook with every step she took. Getting out of this room was their only chance. They needed help.

Kito pushed past, glancing to his right as he caught sight of a flash. He sidestepped but it was too late. The katana arced down, slicing a deep gash into his side. Staggering to the side, Kito felt his radius drop several feet. The little girl cried out as he hit the wall, nearly pinning her. Biting the inside of his cheek, Kito pushed past the pain, slipping in his own blood as he pulled the girl towards the door.

The man swiped his katana in the air, cleaning it on a tablecloth. Seemingly satisfied he jerked his head towards the girl, picking herself off the ground. Grinning, she grabbed a table knife off the ground, stashing it in her waistband, before taking off on her skateboard after the three retreating towards the double doors.

Eri's cry had Momo looking back and she paled when she saw the quickly spreading blood that was staining Kito's white dress shirt. Damn it. She slowed her steps, and reached for Eri, knowing that he needed to be focusing on keeping on his feet and not the girl. As her hand found Eri's, something else caught her eye and whatever blood was left in her face quickly vanished as well. She was finally able to see Shouto; he was leaned back in the chair that he had been in before she had left, his red hair overshadowing his white and his scar more apparent than it usually was. He was slowly but steadily beginning to flame and in that second, she was more aware that he was a Todoroki than ever before. Swallowing hard, she jerked her gaze away, trying to ignore the sting of tears. Later. Later they would get him and the others safe but they had to save themselves first.

* * *

"Dammit, why isn't this working? I should be connected but none of the connections aren't working."

The speaker banged on the buttons as if this would speed the process along. Dabi turned towards the man in the chair, annoyance heavy in his voice.

"I told you to quit trying to fix that," he ordered. "Obviously Earphone Jack managed to take down our connections there before Kouki's music got to her. Find where they keep those files, without a trace may I remind you."

Dabi turned toward the three standing in the shadows. "Are you going to work tonight, or let your subordinates handle everything?"

"Don't worry about it," Haruko snarled at the scarred man. "Dragon Kings move at their own free will."

"You're no Dragon King," Dabi scoffed. "Just the son of one."

"What the hell did you say to me?" Haruko lunged upward.

"Brother," Emi Tatsugami pulled at his shirt. "Kyo and I want to go out and practice."

"Yeah, whatever," Haruko sneered at Dabi, turning towards his sisters. "Let's go. Damn league."

* * *

Kito nearly fell down the stairs as the girl's skateboard hit scraped across his legs. He bent, wound stretching, sliding under the rail. She flipped off the stairs, getting between him and Creati. Coughing, he clenched his teeth, backing up. She spun her skateboard a few times, before turning and giving chase to Creati and the little girl.

Gasping as she almost slipped, Momo wasn't sure what to do. The girl was persistent and they had lost Kito...Kito. Her eyes widened as the realization dawned on her. He had been hurt, and before then he had said that he was losing control of his Quirk….would hers be able to work now? She was getting dizzy, probably from the blood that seemed unable to stop pouring from her leg, but she still could create something. She had to. With the hand that wasn't holding onto Eri, she reached for her arm, staggering relief filling her as she was able to pull out a bo staff. This would help things.

"I want to help!" Eri said, seeing Momo could use her quirk. "What can I do?" She didn't feel comfortable yet, using her quirk without Dad or Hito, but she could get help or something, couldn't she?

Momo hesitated, not entirely sure how to answer that. Her dizziness was making it difficult to actually figure things out the way they needed to be. Suddenly, she remembered the bag she had thrown over her shoulder and she dropped it quickly to the ground. "My phone's in there. I don't know if it'll be able to go out or not, but try. Start with Moonrain." A good portion of her contacts were in that room, but she still had plenty that could be contacted for help, including the Honor Hero she was a sidekick to. "If it doesn't, we'll figure something else out. "

"I will!" Eri grabbed the purse, moving off so that Momo had plenty of fighting space while she dialed the numbers.

Taking a deep breath, then another, Momo turned, her hands gripping her bo staff tightly. The girl would find them soon, she had little doubt of that, so she just had to wait. At least they were against a wall, and she didn't have to worry about anyone coming up behind her and Eri. Where was Kito? Before she could come up with an answer, she saw the girl. She swallowed hard, tightening her grip again.

The girl rolled closer on her skateboard, twirling her staff. Suddenly, she stopped, looking behind her.

Momo, prepared for an attack, was surprised when nothing happened. Pressing her lips together in a tight line, she quickly looked in the direction the girl had turned, wondering what she had heard.

Rin came running around the corner. "Mr. Kito sent me to help, he thought I could…" he slid to a stop, staring at the girl, more specifically, the dragon tattoo.

So Kito was alright enough to send reinforcements; Momo let out a relieved exhale. She didn't know what the boy could do, but anything would help at this point. "I'm glad to see you," she said, hoping to draw his attention back to her. She didn't know what his expression was about, it was a mixture of surprise and something that she couldn't quite name, but right now, she needed him focused on what was going on.

The girl smiled, collapsing her bo staff. Bowing low, she pulled back, darting down the street.

Momo blinked, looking in the direction the girl disappeared in then turning back to the boy. She didn't want to know, she decided. Shaking her head, she was suddenly struck with a question. "How are you alright?"

Rin shook himself, looking at Creati. He swallowed a lump in his throat, he was talking to Creati. Seishin would be so jealous. "Uh well,I dropped all these pans and Rokuro Saito was about to kill me and all of a sudden we heard screaming. Our classmates were all going crazy. I tried to put them to sleep but my quirk wouldn't work. I think Rokuro Saito knocked a few out. Then the three of us ran out."

Seishin, who must be the student with the mind Quirk. Momo swallowed hard, refusing to look at Eri in case her face revealed something she didn't want to be seen. They would have to deal with it later. "Where's Kito?" she asked, realizing that the boy she was talking to was a some type of healer. He looked familiar, but she couldn't place him right now. With him, Seishin, Saito, her, Eri, and Kito, there was at least six unaffected. Not the best but it could be worse, she reasoned.

"He stayed behind. Some pretty big explosions were going off and he wanted to stay in the area to erase the quirks again," Rin explained. "Here, I can heal your leg...if you want me too…" he stammered.

She needed to get back out there, to help Kito if she could and while she didn't want to waste any time, she also was very aware that she couldn't do much more with her leg like this. It was trembling, and she knew that she wouldn't be able to stand for much longer. "Please," Momo said softly, hiking up her skirt a little so he was able to see the full length of the grisly wound that stretched down her leg. It was longer than it had been so she must have opened it more with all her running.

Rin walked up, reaching out with his hand, letting the golden light pulse down mending the wound as well as restoring energy. He was thankful now that he had absorbed so much during the Festival.

As warmth settled over her and her strength was renewed, Momo suddenly realized who he was. "You're Nakamaru," she realized, surprise in her eyes. She had watched what she could of the Sports Festival, and she had seen him during it. "You really stood out."

"Er, thanks a lot!" Rin grinned a bit nervously, turning several different shades of red at the compliment.

"She's coming," Eri came running back to Momo. "With her on staff sidekicks."

Momo reached out, giving Eri a quick hug. She was relieved, but would her menter and the other sidekicks be even enough? "Alright," she said, adjusting her dress again. "Thank you," she said seriously to Nakamaru, knowing she owed him one for this. "Are there any other students that you can think of that might be...alright?"

"No," Rin shot a grim look back at the building. "They were in just as bad of shape as the rest of the Heroes and guests in there…Seishin and Rokuro Saito went to go get help from other students."

Momo closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. She had a decision to make. "You know them better than I do. How likely is it that they can handle themselves?"

"Seishin's got an amazing quirk and she's been working on her combat skills," Rin said after a moment. "I'd say she's one of our strongest. Rokuro Saito is definitely one of the strongest. He's got a super offensive quirk and doesn't back down."

"Alright," Momo said after a couple seconds of quickly thinking, now knowing what their best option would be. "I need to go to Kito. He can't handle it all by himself." She didn't like the idea of leaving Seishin and Saito but she also knew that the Pro Hero was in need of the most help right then.

"Should I join with Seishin and Rokuro Saito?" Rin asked. "They might need help if there are more villains around. Especially if there are more than two."

Momo hesitated, then reminded herself that he was a U.A. student, just as Seishin and Saito were, and they were more than able to handle themselves. She reached for her bag, pulling out a small container. Inside were two communication devices, one which she gave to Nakamaru. She had been planning on presenting them to Shouto tonight, but that idea would have to clearly wait. "If you run into any trouble, any at all that you can't handle, tell me. I'll find you as soon as I can."

"I will," Rin nodded seriously. "Um...Miss Creati," he glanced back where the girl on the skateboard had disappeared. "It isn't just the League of Villains here, is it? How did they get in?"

"Yaoyorozu," she said, because she figured this was as good of a time to be on personal name basis as any. "And no, it isn't." She took a deep breath, then shook her head. "No idea," she said because while she had her guesses, that was all they were. "We'll figure it out."

"I'll bring back help," Rin said quickly. "We'll get some of the students and any of the staff that weren't in attendance."

"Good luck and please be careful." Momo hoped this had been the right choice; she would never forgive herself if something happened to him because of a decision she made. She turned to Eri, looking at her seriously. "Do you want to stay with me or go with Nakamaru?"

"I don't know," Eri whispered. She didn't want to leave Momo, knowing her best. She had heard her Dad mention Nakamaru a few times but she didn't really know him. However, she knew she would be in the way if she went back with Momo. Unable to use her quirk she would just trip one of the heroes.

Momo's expression softened as she saw the clear distress on the young girl's face. "You would be safer with Nakamaru," she said softly. "If you get scared, you can call me." She motioned to the communication device that Nakamaru now had. "I'll make sure your dad and Shinsou are alright and as soon as they can, they'll come find you."

Eri nodded, looking up at the boy only a few years older than herself. "Make sure they are okay," she murmured.

"Here, uh, you can hold it if you want," Rin held out the device.

Eri reached up, grasping the communication device in both pale hands. "Don't get hurt," she said, looking up at Momo.

Momo smiled, reaching out and gently bopping the end of Eri's nose with a finger. "Don't worry." Giving her another smile in hopes of reassurance, she nodded to Nakamaru then with bo staff in hand, turned and raced down the hallway, back to where she had last seen Kito.

"Uh, just call me Rin," he glanced down at the girl.

"My name's Eri," she replied.

"Hi, Eri," Rin smiled reassuringly. "Let's go find my friends."

* * *

When Momo worked her way back to the room, she had been expecting many things, but not the sight that was unfolded before her eyes. With a deafening silence, heroes unconscious and all the villains gone, Kito was the only one awake, expression unreadable. For a moment, she simply stared, then cleared her throat. "Kito? Are you alright?" She felt sick and focusing on the Pro seemed to be the best distraction.

"Yaoyorozu," Kito blinked, standing up. "I'm not sure what happened. My range was down just a few minutes." He held up a piece of cloth. "Gold dust," he muttered frowning heavily.

Momo hurried over to him, staring at the cloth then back up at him. "Does that mean this is over?" she asked, voice soft but seemingly loud in the silence.

"No," Kito shook his head. "This is far from over. The Villains have moved. We need to find them." He dropped the cloth. "Don't touch the stuff. Whatever it is, I can't wake anyone up."

Momo swallowed hard, forcing back her fear and worry, then nodded. "Alright. We have a handful of students that seem fine; we'll do what we can until reinforcements get here."

"For now we need to find where they are. They could be further in the campus or escaping." Kito looked around. "Let's go. They can't have gotten far."

* * *

Anamiya had been sitting in the common room, reading, for an hour or so before Yukiko Ikeda walked in with her own book. It was beyond ridiculous, but he couldn't be anything but be aware of her presence. Every time he glanced at her, rather on purpose or accident, he found himself flushing. He didn't understand this, but quickly decided it was nice to sit with someone like this. Even though neither of them had spoken to one another, as of yet, it was still a nice companionship between them.

Having not been able to sleep, Yukiko had crept downstairs to sit in her favorite chair. She buried her nose in a book, almost forgetting about Yun's presence. She frowned listening hard. She thought she had heard a boom?

Trying to focus on his book, Anamiya checked his phone again, frowning slightly. That was odd. Genjiro had promised to send him pictures but there was nothing yet. Had he forgotten?That seemed unlikely since he was so excited to show him things.

"Did you hear that?" Yuikiko looked out the window realizing Yun was there. "I thought I heard...something."

Startled, Anamiya jumped, then looked up. "LIke what?" he asked, suddenly unable to shake a bad feeling.

"It sounded like a boom," Yukiko stood up. She walked over to the window, peeking out.

Worried, Anamiya stood as well, putting his book to the side. "Do you see anything?"

"Not really," Yukiko rubbed her eyes. She blinked into the darkness. Wait...was that...fire? "There's a fire," she turned around, clutching her book to her chest, eyes wide.

Inhaling sharply, Anamiya saw what she did a moment later. "Damn," he murmured, trying desperately to keep his fear, and panic, from clouding his mind. They had to do something. He quickly got his phone, calling Genjiro again. He didn't answer and the fear grew.

"I can't get a hold of Hikari," Yukiko said softly. She gripped her phone, hands shaking. What was going on? Maybe it was just some of the students messing around. But why did she have a feeling that things weren't so simple?

When Anamiya couldn't get a hold of Rin either, the sick feeling grew. There was something really wrong. "We have to go see if they need help," he said, trying to keep his voice firm. He didn't know what to do but their friends could well be in danger.

"Right," Yukiko said coldly. She slipped her phone into her pocket. "Is anyone else here?" she wondered, realizing after she had spoken the words.

"Liam Crook," Anamiya said, remembering the other boy slinking in the shadows of the Common Room earlier. He took a deep breath, thinking. "And Hanko." He wasn't sure who else.

"I'm going to check and see what it is," Yukiko said flatly.

Anamiya was already nodding before she even finished speaking. "I'll be right there with you." He had to make sure his friends, and the others, were alright.

Yukiko looked at him then turned heading for the door. "Alright."

They were fine. They had to be. Whatever happened, everyone was fine. "Let's see who else we can find on the way," Anamiya said softly, trying desperately to keep his voice still firm.

"Everyone is in their rooms. If it is a fire something else could catch in the time it would take to retrieve them," Yukiko said flatly.

Anamiya hesitated. She had a point but he didn't feel like they were prepared enough between them to do any good. "Alright. Let's just check the situation out then go from there," he said, trying not to stumble over his words.

"Alright," Yukiko nodded. She walked to the door, taking a deep breath.

How could she be so fearless? Anamiya had no idea; he was nearly shaking with fear yet she seemed so composed; he didn't understand. Swallowing hard, he quickly followed, hand clenched tightly around his phone.

* * *

Emi Tatsugami bounced on her heels waving her hands excitedly. "Hi there students!" she called, elbowing her sister.

"Hello!" Kyo grinned, giving a small wave as well.

"What the hell?" Rokuro cursed sliding to a halt. Who were these little kids? What were they doing just standing in the middle of the school grounds?

Akari stumbled to a stop a well, eyes widening as she saw the girls. They were kids, maybe nine, no older than ten, but there was something that just felt off about them. She took a step backwards. "Rokuro," she said softly. They needed to leave.

"What are you scared of Seishin?" Rokuro glared at her. "They are just kids; let's go, we have to get the teachers."

Akari's gaze was even as she fought the urge to step backwards again. "Do we really want to get involved with something else right now?"

"What are you guys waiting for?" Kyo called. "Come fight us!"

Rokuro glanced back at them, starting to see Akari's hesitation. Something was off. Damn. Why now of all times?

* * *

 **Hello! Drama, drama, drama...*spooky voice* so what is the League of Villains and the Tatsugami Clan after? Any predictions?**

 **Hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


	27. Chapter 25

_Reviews with Alumni and Loki_

 _Hofund (pt1 &pt2) ~ Perhaps so, though we would hate to see them working together in true order if this is just a test run. Indeed taking down a bunch of heroes in a relaxing area is easily done._

 _gold crown dragon ~ What a mark indeed!_

 _Supreme Kai of Booty ~ *fidgets* well...we are back and that's what matters! Reine's parents are the best. Stopped indeed!_

 _Attackin ~ Ooh glad you liked the fighting! Great theories! Who knowwsss what they wannnttt...*tries to be spooky*_

 _61394 ~ *btw when writing you name I (Alumni) sing it to the tune of 24601* Ooh maybe Deku will show up *wink wink*_

 _Mystery Again ~ So intense...we didn't write for like...a long time..._

* * *

 **We have a lot of excuses so let me grab the list and we'll read them off and try to justify the disappearance.**

 **1\. Alumni was sick for a month**

 **2\. National November Writing Month**

 **3\. General laziness on Alumni's side of things**

 **Definitely** **not seeing a pattern here (Loki: It's Alumni's faulttttt) So let's dive straight into the story!**

* * *

Rokuro peeled his jacket off, tossing it to the side. He didn't like this. Sure, they were little girls, but they had a bad feel about them. They blocked the central road back to the main buildings. What the hell were those villains thinking? Attacking a school for heroes in training? That was a dumb move. What did they have to prove? And why were they sending little girls to fight their battles?

How did it all turn out like this? Akari had been expecting many things by coming to this dinner, such as meeting Creati and Deku, because nothing would stop her from meeting two of her idols, but everything had quickly gone to hell and now her, Saito and Nakamaru were trying to pick up some of the pieces...somehow. Hoping Nakamaru had found them an ally or two in this madness, she stared at the girls, not entirely sure what was about to happen.

Kyo bounced excitedly from foot to foot. "So she's the mind one. We'll keep both on her and then a negative on him. That should work out fine and not exceed our limits."

"I agree," Emi nodded, throwing a bouncy ball down then catching it in her right hand. She reached out, a ring of red light banding around her pinky finger above another ring. A ball of light traveled through the air, curling around Akari Seishin's pinky finger.

Kyo drew her fan out, keeping it close in one hand while stretching out the other. Blue light curled around her finger as well as Rokuro Saito's pinky.

"Rokuro," Akari warned taking a step backwards as she stared at her finger. How did they know who she was? Damn it, she should have acted sooner. She couldn't do anything now, not until she knew what exactly they had just done to her and Saito.

"So you know who we are and you still want a fight?" Rokuro yelled, waving his finger trying to get the blue light off. "We are U.A. students and about as close as they come to Heroes! So don't underestimate us! Just get out of our damn way!"

Akari exhaled, looking back at the girls. She knew the light wouldn't come off, not until they decided to release them of it and hoped Saito would understand that too. His temper might have helped him escape the plight of the others but it wouldn't help him now. "What did you do to us?"

"I connected us," Emi's voice echoed inside Akari's head. "We can now think together, which means we both know what the other plans to do."

Akari flinched, having never been on this side of a mental quirk before...but it couldn't be mental, because it wouldn't work on her if it was. Damn it. If they knew what her plans were as soon as she did, she wouldn't ever have the upper hand? She glanced quickly at Saito. Did he have the same thing happening to him? Surely there was something that they could do.

"It's strange isn't it. You aren't used to mental quirks. See mine's been maturing and expanding much longer than you've been allowed to so your shields don't work when I've infiltrated. Of course, you can now do the same. If only you knew how." A little girl's delighted giggle shook through Akari.

"I can and will figure it out," Akari said firmly. She would, somehow, because she had to. The others were depending on her.

"It will be fun!" Emi replied, just as a blue ring joined the red on Akari's finger.

"Fun isn't the right word," Akari shot back, glaring down at the blue ring then focusing back on the conversation. What could she do?

"Do you want to play now? I think your friend doesn't like us, he might hurt us," Emi took out a pretty pink painted fan. "I don't want that, he can't hurt my sister so I'll have to protect her."

"Can you blame him for not liking you two?" Akari asked, though she had a feeling they would take offense to that. "But how do I play?" It might give her enough time to figure out a way to escape whatever their Quirk was exactly.

"You try to stay alive," Emi shrugged.

Suddenly, her and her sister opened their fans to reveal bladed teeth along the edges. They backed up a step, before charging forward.

Akari instantly drew her metal staff and held it defensively in front of herself. She took a steadying breath, and didn't move, letting them come to her. They might be young, but she wouldn't underestimate them.

Kyo attacked Rokuro Saito, while Emi slashed her fan at Akari. As she ducked, Emi jumped behind her, attacking with her bladed fan.

Akari managed to block each fan swap with her staff. The girl was fast, but so was she and she had a feeling that she might have a little more depending on her than the girl did.

Rokuro grabbed the girl's fan, sending a blast of red, hitting her in the stomach. He needed to knock them out. He didn't like fighting kids, but if they were so eager to attack then...suddenly he doubled over, pain searing through his stomach. What the hell had happened?

"Saito?" Akari had seen him fall out of the corner of her eye but couldn't look to see if he was alright. She hoped he was.

Emi slashed her fan, cartwheeling and slicing at Akari's legs. "He'll be okay if you just surrender."

Kyo stood, watching Rokuro Saito. She was undamaged by his attack, tracing the lace on her fan.

"I'm not," Akari snapped. He would just have to hold out a little bit longer until she could get the upper hand. She hoped he could. Even though she knew this was the right thing to do, she couldn't shake her feelings of guilt.

"Alright," Emi opened her fan again, slicing in a cross pattern. "I hope he's okay then."

Akari didn't say anything, watching the little girl warily. She couldn't afford to take her focus off her for even a second but she did hope Rokuro Saito was alright too. It was worrying her.

Emi swung again, this time one of their signature snowflake patterns. However this left a gap in her defense.

As soon as she saw the opening, Akari took it, slamming her staff hard into the girl. A part of her hated hurting her, she was just a kid after all, but she knew that Saito's safety was her first priority. A sudden pain stole her breath and she gasped sharply.

Emi straightened, looking at her curiously. She didn't seem affected by the blow given. Her fan closed in her hand as she watched, noticing Saito falling to his knees again.

"What the hell?" Akari breathed, catching sight of this. Her eyes widened suddenly with horror and she jerked her attention back to the girl. "Does he feel everything?" she demanded.

"My sister put a negative bond on you both. When you hurt a positive it simply bounces back to you. I let go of my positive bond on you because I didn't want to get hurt," Emi said. "But I put it on Rokuro Saito instead."

Akari swore under her breath. This complicated things. What could she do? She didn't want to keep hurting Rokuro; herself she was fine with however. "Saito?" she called, making a decision.

"What?" Rokuro ground out, voice flecked with pain and anger.

"How much more can you take?" Akari did her best to keep her voice from shaking.

"I can take it," Rokuro shoved himself to his feet.

Swallowing hard, Akari leapt at the girl, swinging her bo staff. She hoped desperately that she could figure out another plan and soon; she didn't want to keep causing Rokuro pain.

Emi didn't try to avoid the blow, letting it slam into her stomach, she slid backwards, but straightened up, unaffected.

Akari didn't let any seconds pass, before she hit the girl again, this time in her lower back. Something would have to bring her down; she just hoped it didn't bring Saito down too. Pain shot through her, exactly where she had hit the girl at and she gritted her teeth.

Rokuro ground his teeth together, hitting the ground again. From his hits on the other girl recently and Akari's hits he was going down. He pushed himself over, rolling to avoid the sharp blades of the fan.

Was this even helping anything? She didn't want to make Rokuro Saito suffer for no reason. But what more could she do? She couldn't use her Quirk,so she was quickly running out of options. Swallowing hard, Akari attacked again, trying to ignore the steadily growing pain.

Emi and Kyo moved in sync, switching back and forth a few times. Each time they were hit, there was no effect except on their opponents.

Pain was making Akari dizzy, and she could only image how Saito was dong. They needed backup, and fast, but she wasn't sure if even that would help.

Rokuro wheezed, holding his ribcage. He was sure the last blow had broken a rib. Dammit, he couldn't keep his feet much longer. They were just little girls but they had more control over their quirks than he did.

Groaning softly, Akari staggered, pain erupting in her side again. At least it wasn't in the same place as before. She had never wanted to know how badly her staff could hurt.

Emi curled around her, slashing her upper arm open with her fan. Kyo kicked Rokuro in the head as he bent, managing to slice his hand with her fan.

Blood instantly spilled from her arm and Akari inhaled sharply, cursing both her slowing reflexes and the gash that tore across her arm. Unable to use it anymore without increasing pain, she forced her bo staff into another hand, though this one had Rokuro's wound, making it pulse with pain. She refused to allow hopelessness to swallow her, though it was becoming increasingly hard to avoid those feelings.

Rokuro cursed as fire light his upper arm, yet no wound showed itself. This sucked in so many more ways than one. Also something else was weighing down on him, but from the inside. Though his entire being rebelled against the thought, the words of hopelessness kept whirling through his mind. Against his will he found himself buckling, hitting the ground hard.

A thud drew Akari's attention and she jerked her head in the direction that the sound came from. It made her even more dizzy but that didn't matter as she saw Rokuro. She had never seen someone as pale as he was. Guilt stabbed her chest, hurting her worse than the various wounds that were beginning to line her body. She staggered suddenly, feeling the weight of helplessness crush down against her shoulders. She knew without a doubt it wasn't hers, and Rokuro...helpless? Doubtful too. But she didn't have time to figure it out now.

Struggling to drag in each breath, Rokuro stayed down, hands against the pavement and head bowed. Heaving in a painful gasp, he shook himself, trying to get back up. Anger pounded through his head. Why was he so weak? Then again the reminder of "why was it even worth it?" slammed into his thoughts, battling with the anger.

"Damn it," Akari breathed,but forced herself to look back to the girls. She had to focus. She couldn't keep this up forever, neither of them could take much more, but she had no doubt what would happen if she gave in now. Surely backup would be here soon; the twins couldn't possibly do this to many more people at the same time.

Both girls glanced at each other, before attacking her at the same time. Rokuro was down, struggling with his own head to be of any use. That meant he and Akari would both be going down soon. Emi grabbed her staff while Kyo flipped, slashing Akari's ankles.

A moment of distraction, a moment of struggling under the helplessness, then pain shot through Akari's ankles and suddenly, her body gave in to the agony that was slowly but steadily working through her body. She collapsed to the ground with a pained gasp.

Emi and Kyo stepped back, obviously pleased with how this had gone. They approached, fans opened.

Rokuro groaned, unable to move. His arms trembled under the weight of his own helpless body. Why couldn't he move? What had they done to him?

Akair's head was spinning far too much for her to form any kind of thought that made even somewhat sense. Get up, get up, get up, she repeated, latching onto the chant. But even then, she didn't seem to be able to do it.

"Saito! Seishin!" Rin shouted, running up. He kept Eri behind him his arm already outstretched. Suddenly he skidded to a halt. "Emi? Kyo?" He gulped, staring at the two young girls.

Hearing his voice, Akari released a breath, closing her eyes. She would rest, just for a minute, then she would get up and help him. Just for a minute.

"Brother!" Both girls beamed, running up to him. Despite himself, Rin let them embrace him, too shocked at seeing them and his classmates on the ground.

"What's going on?" Eri stared at the girls who seemed to be just her age.

Brother? Akari groaned softly, trying to will herself to get up. Surely she had misheard them. But when she managed to wrench her eyes open, then propped herself on shaking arms, she realized she really hadn't.

"What did you do to my friends?" Rin pulled back. "I knew they were here but I didn't think he would send you."

"It's a fun trip," Kyo giggled, ignorant of the meaning of his expression.

"It's been so long since you came, big brother," Emi clapped her hands together. "Why do you have to be a hero? Is it really important?"

"Can you have this conversation after letting us go?" Akari asked, soft voice weighted with weariness and pain. She was worried about Saito, who hadn't made much of a sound, or a movement even, since falling. She could only assume what exactly this conversation was about, but right now, none of that mattered.

"Emi, Kyo," Rin jerked his attention back to his classmates. "Please let them go."

"Alright!" Both happily agreed in unison.

Rin pushed past them, holding out his arm and healing them.

"So are you going to come back?" Emi hopped up and down on one foot.

"Thanks," Akari said softly, slowly sitting up again. She felt like this conversation wasn't meant for her, so she focused instead of Rokuro, trying not to pay attention to what was being discussed.

"I'm not, Emi," Rin said softly. "You know I left." He walked over to Rokuro Saito.

Doing her best to ignore the conversation, Akari watched him as he worked, briefly glancing down at her hands. At least she couldn't feel his pain anymore or that helplessness...she frowned, trying to understand. There was something there but...her face paled and she glanced up sharply again. Eizen...had it been Eizen?

Rokuro straightened, his mind still messed up. "Thanks," he muttered. He glared at the girls, still untouched. "Why haven't you dealt with them?" he snapped.

Rin flinched, "I...I…" he looked helplessly at the two, still smiling at him.

"Do you want him to get like we were?" Akari cut in, Rokuro's question drawing her from her thoughts. She didn't look at Nakamaru, focusing instead on Saito. "He healed us. We should go."

"Can you handle them, Nakamaru?" Rokuro shook himself, trying to feel angry enough to drown out the other emotions.

"I've got them," Rin nodded. "Go get help."

Akari quickly stood. "Thanks, Nakamaru," she said seriously, then reached and grabbed Rokuro's arm. "I can get help. You need to find Eizen."

"What do you mean? We left him with the others back there," Rokuro cursed as the other emotions started breaking through his anger.

"Rokuro," Akari said patiently. "I felt those feelings too. You need to make sure he's alright." She didn't think he was but she didn't voice that thought.

Rokuro hesitated, "He can take care of himself. The last thing I need is to go mad."

At that, Akari hesitated as well, then sighed. "I'm sure this will get under control soon," she offered. She was worried about Eizen, far more than she had ever been before, but she didn't want to risk losing Rokuro. Thye needed all the allies they could. "Faster if we can find help." She had no idea where to even start there.

"Alright," Rokuro shot her a confident grin. "I'll go get the teachers, you get the other students who board here."

Akari managed to smile back, though she didn't think it was nearly as confident. "Alright. Be careful." She was sure her advice was falling on deaf ears but she said it anyway.

"You don't need to tell me that," Rokuro ran off in the direction of the faculty building. Whoever wasn't at the party should be there.

Fairly certain that she actually did, Akari shook her head, then darted in the opposite way. She hoped she could find a good number of other students. They needed all the help they could get in this.

* * *

Though her face revealed nothing of her inner turmoil, Chiyo Saito, known professionally as Aquarius, was anything but calm. Two of her brothers were unaccounted and most certainly in danger, but she wasn't able to do anything for, at least right now. That absolutely killed her. "Moonrain," she called, pushing back her long purple hair as she approached the Honor Hero. She had yet to see her parents, or Youta or Takeshi, but she knew they would be here. When it mattered, the Saito family could be united.

Moonrain looked up at her, the sleeves of her kimono folded neatly. "U.A.'s gates have been closed. Its nearly impossible to get in once this has happened. A security feature for the students."

Chiyo released a breath, then nodded. Of course. "Who made contact with you?"

"My sidekick, Creati," Moonrain looked worriedly at the gates.

"My brothers are in there too," Chiyo said softly. They would all be alright; they had to. She quickly reached for her phone, dialing Youta's number.

"Yeah, and I thought I was missing out on this dinner," Takeshi walked up to Chiyo. "Oh well, this is a good way to have Hito owe me," he grinned, water forming in his hand. "It's going to take a lot, but fortunately there's a hydrant nearby. I hope you don't mind getting a little wet, Miss Moonrain."

Though feeling somewhat more reassured, despite her worry, now that Takeshi had arrived, Chiyo still rolled her eyes, putting her phone to her ear as she kicked off her shoes "Don't forget to tell Mom that you appreciate her putting you on patrol."

"You must be Akio's family," Shigure Saito said, his normal cheerful demeter replaced by a rare severity. It was going to be a challenge to use his Quirk when both his brothers were in that madness somewhere. Damn it, he should have gone. "I'm Shigure, or Hatchiman. I'm Eixen and Rokuro's older brother."

"Right, the twins," Takeshi snapped his fingers. Water was pooling at his feet. "I remember them." Water formed in the air, taking on the shape of stairs over the gates.

Despite himself, Shigure's lips quirked slightly. Rokuro had a tendency to leave a lasting impression, no matter what he did. "Our father's on his way."

"We'll let our parents figure out how to get in on their own. Let's go," Takeshi started up the watery stairs. He had hardened the density of his water so it was just like concrete, give or take a few splashes.

Chiyo followed quickly, barely aware of the other heroes that were following behind her. She had told Youta their plan, and trusted he knew what to do. He wouldn't be a Pro, or a Saito, if he didn't. Not dressed at all for this, she hiked up her skirts; every time water made contact with her skin, it tingled, calling out to her like the drug that it was.

Moonrain followed, the skirts of her kimono dragging slightly in the water, but her steps remained as graceful as ever. She jumped down on the opposite side, ready for a fight. However the area remained desolate.

Shigure frowned, eyebrows furrowing. It was too quiet, too still. What was going on?

"Kazuha," Momo called softly, relief in her voice as she hurried to the group. Having the Pro here lifted a fraction of her worry. She recognized Takeshi Saito, he looked too much like his brother for her not to know him, and Chiyo Saito, who also shared a resemblance, but she wasn't for certain who the other was.

"Momo," the Honor Hero smiled gently. Moonrain glanced around again. "What is going on here?" she asked. "We heard Villains attacked. Is this true?"

"I don't know," Momo said, trying to keep her voice steady. Now that she was out of the chaos, it was finally beginning to catch up with her. "It's completely madness. There seems to be only a few of us that weren't affected by this."

"Madness?" Moonrain's brows drew together in a tight frown.

Momo nodded, glancing over her shoulder. "I've never seen anything like it," she said softly. "But everyone's passed out now."

"Passed out?" Moonrain queried. She was only finding more questions than answers. This was so unusual.

Momo nodded again, glancing back at then straightened. "The villiams seem to have left. Kito's searching the area," she said, still not sure if splitting up was the best idea," And there were some students that turned out alright."

"Well fortunately the media is out of the way," Moonrain grimaced. "The cameras went down after your fight. It's total chaos outside though."

"What do we do now?" Momo asked, taking a deep breath then releasing it again.

"Try to resolve this," Moonrain said softly. "We need to open the gates and evacuate."

"Alright." Momo dipped her head. "Your lead." She hoped this would be resolved quickly; for the others' sakes. She was terrified their unconsciousness was a mask for something else.

"Wait," Shigure said quickly. "Do you know if my brothers are with the others?"

Momo shook her head. "I only saw Eizen. He was with Akio," she said softly, wishing she had better news. She knew he was worried, just as she was.

"Thank you," Shigure said, voice soft, then straightened. It was better than nothing. "Alright. Let's go."

"Wait," Moonrain said softly. "There's someone here."

Chiyo instantly straightened, holding up her hand. Water droplets formed quickly, forming into a rather large orb as she readied herself for possible trouble.

A figure in a long black coat stepped out of the darkness, the startling white mask encompassing his entire head shining in the moonlight. Black gloves with white mechanisms fitted around the fingers.

Moonrain raised her hands pressing them together, settling into the Vrksasana. By his look alone he was no friend, and by the dragon etched on the mask it declared him a Villain.

Though it wasn't as powerful as it could be, Shigure quickly engulfed his hand in the orange of his Quirk. He didn't recognize the villain, which didn't mean anything since there were so many, but he had no idea what they were about to face.

Takeshi straightened, water beginning to form around him in a large moving puddle. That was the Tatsugami Clan. But they had always kept low. Why appear now?

Quickly forming a staff, Momo didn't look away from the man, stomach in knots. He was one of them but she wasn't sure which; what was he going to do? She waited for Moonrain to make a move, knowing the Pro Hero would make the right decision.

"Who are you?" Moonrain called. "And are you associated with those attacking this school?"

"I am associated with them," a mechanically deep voice whirled. "Simply, I am what you call a Villain and you are what they call Heroes. It is our very nature to clash here."

Chiyo had never heard something so chilling before but she kept her composure. "You're not keeping us away from the others," she said flatly. "Stand aside."

"I'm afraid I cannot do that," the voice echoed hollowly. "You may try to pass though."

Momo shifted uneasily. They had the better odds, that was for certain, but she had a feeling that might not matter this time.

"I will stay and fight him," Takeshi said, the water flowing around his feet. "Everyone else should figure out what the hell is going on here and resolve it before the city panics."

Chiyo nodded, though she wasn't sure if this was a great idea. "Alright, be careful."

Takeshi nodded, "I will, big sis." Suddenly a wave of water sprang into the air towards the Villain. "Now go!" He shouted.

Chiyo didn't waste any time. Instantly, she began to run around the beginning battle.

"Oh I don't think so," Izumi Nagashi smiled blood running down her arms. "He's not alone. Or didn't you know the League and the Clan had joined forces?"

Yoshi Uchina smiled, appearing at her side. She waved a hand; then brushed back strands of hair from her face. This was nothing they hadn't been prepared for.

"Shit," Chiyo swore, backing up several steps. The clan...damn. That was not what she had been expecting and only complicated matters as it was.

The wave of water washed down. Takeshi made a face. "It didn't even touch him," he muttered. His quirk had to be some sort of shield or illusion based.

"It wouldn't," Yoshi agreed, voice quiet. Heroes, she was learning, were far more stupid than one would think.

 _ **Yoshi Uchina! Quirk: Invisible Shields! She can create and manipulate force fields in the shape of bubbles! Quirks are unable to attack through unless weakening and breaking the shield down! Villain name: Claustro!**_

"It's the girl," Shigure murmured, narrowing in on the girl. Her quirk seemed to be a shield of some sort, which she was using to protect her companions. If they took her out, this would go a long way.

"Focus attacks on her," Moonrain said with a commanding tone.

"Shigure, with me," Chiyo called, as she made her water orb larger. If all went well, she would be making it rain tonight.

Bored, Yoshi shifted. They wouldn't be able to touch her. They would learn that sooner than later.

"Do you mind coming with me, Miss Creati?" Takeshi asked.

Momo shook her head, raising her staff. "After you."

Determined to see just how powerful the girl's shields were, which included range, Chiyo tossed the orb straight at the girl. It appeared to hit, only to bounce at the last minute. Before it disolved, Chiyo had formed another. How interesting.

While his control wasn't nearly as impressive as his little brother's, Shigure still had a tight reign over his Quirk. Every action he took, including the blast that followed Chiyo's, was carefully calculated.

Takeshi drew up the water into spear like weapons, hurling them at the shields. At some point, or somewhere there was weakness. He would help the others exploit that and take down the Villains.

Momo slammed her staff against one of the shields, mind working quickly. There had to be a give, but what? Nothing was impenetrable.

"Try again," Izumi smiled. Taking a knife she cut open her arms, blood spilling down, twisting around her fingers. Suddenly the blood lashed out in long thin ropes attacking those attacking the shields.

 _ **Izumi Nagashi! Quirk: Vampire! She can manipulate her own blood, even solidifying it like ice! Be careful, if she manages to get some in your bloodstream, she can manipulate your body, even killing you! Villain Name: Dhampir!**_

"Shit," Takeshi jumped backwards. That was the let down of their family quirks. They could only manipulate liquid water. Ice and this hardened blood wasn't anything they could use. He couldn't even get through the shields to manipulate the water in the other's bodies.

"What the hell?" Chiyo spat, barely dodging out of the way. She had never seen anything like that before. How could they stop something like this?

Moonrain jumped up, settling down into a pose. Light sprung from her hands, in an attempt to melt the blood.

Shigure dodged, cursing as his arm was hit. That hurt more than he was expecting. He aimed a blast of orange, going after that girl. They had to stop her before she took them all out.

Izumi dodged the attacks naturally, letting Uchina cover her. This was a unique style. Fighting together like the Heroes.

"I could get used to this," Yoshi murmured, eyebrow slowly inching upwards as she watched the Heroes. Why didn't they realize how foolish this was?

Groaning softly, Chiyo tried desperately to hang on, but the black spots edging her vision grew so rapidly, it was impossible to do anything but let darkness envepe her.

Momo only had a moment to register the golden dust before darkness took her completely and she knew no more.

Takeshi staggered, trying to wave away the gold dust before it got all the way to him. But he couldn't resist, immediately falling to the ground. This was bad, he thought before it all went black."

Before darkness took his world as well, Shigure saw golden dust, a shadow of a man approaching, then there was simply nothing.

"Damn it," Moonrain cursed. They had been caught off guard. Their offensive quirks had nothing on these. Their quirks weren't suited and that was why...she collapsed to the ground unconscious.

Izumi brushed her hands off, looking at the figure dressed in nice clothing with a white mask obscuring his face. "So, Sandman, what are you going to do with them?"

"Let them sleep, of course."

* * *

"What happened here?"

Pro Hero, Deku, otherwise known as Izuku Midoriya walked through the abandoned campus of UA. It was different coming here after he graduated and on such serious business. Alarms had been raised and several Pro Heroes called upon. However none were responding on the channels.

This was supposed to be a charity dinner. For that city Shouto had saved. Villains attacking, it just seemed like a bad dream. Ochako was here he was pretty sure from their text conversation earlier. He hoped she was safe, but he also knew she had no problems taking care of herself.

Right now he had to worry about the villains. What kind of villain could take down an entire assembly of heroes?

The police were right behind him. He would like to get to the bottom of this before they arrived so he could hand over whoever was responsible. He didn't want to put them at risk.

But everything was empty and…

Four heroes lay on the ground.

Quickly, Deku ran up bending down and checking their pulses. He had seen some of these and...that was Momo Yaoyurozu! Pulses were steady, as well as breathing. It was almost like they were…

Sleeping.

That didn't make things any less confusing. Deku stood up, checking the others as well. It was the same. It must be some sort of quirk. Keeping this many people asleep couldn't be easy. Also this Villain could have several people with him keeping him safe. Running through possibilities, Deku moved on, trying to track down the villains causing this mess.

Moving into the building he looked around, finding several Pro Heroes in a similar situation. This made no sense. The quirk had to be boosted on some drugs. Or perhaps it wasn't a quirk at all. Some sleeping gas maybe?

He recognized some of the unconscious bodies. Big name heroes. His eyes widened as he started seeing his old classmates. At least they were sleeping, but some had wounds as if there had been a struggle. He had better check in and have the police call in more medics.

Checking on pulses, he straightened as he saw Uraraka. Quickly moving over towards her, he bent, worriedly checking her heartbeat. Steady, like everyone else's. A sense of relief flooded over him as he lifted her placing her down on the floor instead of leaned halfway up against the wall. She seemed to be fine, but nothing was fine here.

Nothing was making sense. Where were the Villains?

Suddenly a noise outside drew his attention. It was like many people yelling. Cautiously he rose moving towards the door. Wary of attack, he threw a black whip forward to pull the doors open.

Several flashes of light blinded him momentarily. Deku raised his arm to block the light. What on earth?

"Its Pro Hero Deku! The number seven!"

"Deku what happened here? Where are all the Pro Heroes?"

"Is it true that Villains attacked?"

"I heard that it was inner sabotage! Were the Heroes really fighting each other?"

"The Media," Deku murmured, blinking as several more photos were taken. Microphones were being shoved in his face. He had to act fast or panic would break out.

"Everything is alright," he said calmly, trying to slow the rush of questions. "You need to please leave the area, this is a sectioned off crime scene…"

"Then it is true that the Heroes were fighting each other!"

"We can't release anything yet," Deku replied, relieved to hear police sirens. "Please leave the area for your own safety. I am sure full statements will be released to the public as soon as possible."

Three detectives raced up, followed by several uniformed police officers. "Take civilians out of the area," Yui Tanaka ordered, motioning for her subordinates to clear the scene before turning to her partner. "Kōmori, how far out is medical?"

"No more than five," Kashiwa said, glancing briefly at his phone. He hoped they weren't needed but the fact was, there were too many uncertainties for him to believe all the Pros, and the students, would be fine. The students...where was his daughter tonight?

Nodding, Yui turned to Deku, frowning. "What happened?" They didn't dare check on the Pros until they knew exactly what was going on. What could have knocked them out like this?

"Not sure yet," Deku looked around. "I haven't spotted any villains. It's all very strange. Be on alert. I'm going to patrol the area." He looked up, spotting several more pro heroes arriving with police.

Yui nodded. "Be careful. We have this handled." Once they got the media got cleared out, they would begin assessing.

"Thank you," Deku nodded.

Something caught Kashiwa's eye and he looked up. "Yui," he said softly, motioning to what he had seen. His partner stiffened as she also saw who it was. She nodded at him and he turned, rapidly approaching the boy.

"Rin Tatsugami, you're under arrest."

Rin looked up eyes widening as he raised his hands. He glanced over at Eri. She stared up at him. Why were they arresting him? And using his father's last name…

"Yui, there's a girl over here," Kashiwa called, putting a pair of handcuffs on Tatsugami's wrists. Thanks to their tip, they had one of sons of Masa Tatsugami.

"No stop he's helping me!" Eri put her hands on her hips. "He's a student!"

A student...which meant he had to know Kaede. Taking a deep breath, as Yui came over and collected the girl, Kashiwa tried to shake away thoughts that this wasn't a good idea.

"What did I do?" Rin asked shakily.

"You're Masa Tatsugami's son," Kashiwa said simply. "At a crime scene." This might turn out to be an in they've been looking for years.

"I'm a student," Rin said. "I wasn't part of anything."

"We'll sort it all out at the station," Yui said seriously, holding the girl by the hand.

"Where's my daddy and big brother?" Eri shrank back, wanting to be let go of. She didn't like strangers holding her.

"Who's your dad?" Yui asked, voice becoming surprisingly gentle as she turned.

"Shota Aizawa," Eri said.

It took a moment for the name to click then Yui sighed. "He'll be around here somewhere. We'll find him." She watched as her partner lead the boy away, then turned away herself. She hoped they could find Aizawa and soon, for the little one's sake.

There were no villains. Deku jumped down. The two Tatsugami Clan members had disappeared into the night but those were the only two. No Villains anywhere. Had they escaped when the Press mobbed the school grounds? There were no answers. Nothing. What had happened here?

A foreboding feeling rose in his mind as he looked around. What was going on? Was the Tatsugami Clan really powerful enough to stage an attack like this? Yes the old underground gangs were rising to power again, but would they risk an attack on U.A. on a room full of Pro Heroes by themselves?

"What's going on?" he muttered.

* * *

 **More questions than answers! I bet the readers feel the same as Deku (which is a good thing cause...you can relate to the story...right?). Don't expect easy answers on silver platters! Everything will come to light the hard way.**

 **Anyways...we are back after a lengthy break. I hope someone is still around to enjoy the story as it progresses!**


	28. Christmas Special

_Reviews with Alumni and Loki:_

 _Supreme Kai of Booty ~ It's good to be back! A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you as well!_

 _gold crown dragon ~ It did indeed._

 _Attackin ~ Thanks! Ooh good points...we'll have to see what happens next!_

 _61394 ~ From Les Miserable...anyways back on subject! Kaede's dad is honestly too pure for this world!_

 _Recap man ~ lol Charlotte's family! Yes the Tatsugami Clan accomplished a lot in one night. The truth is revealed..._

 _Chester A Bum ~ We are so glad you liked it! Great rendition too...All those points are true (esp. love purple haired waterbenders...) Also honored that trench coat guy sounds like Shino. And hey! It's an update!_

* * *

 _Eleven years ago..._

"Ro," Eizen whispered, staring intently at the lump that was his twin, buried underneath a mountain of blankets. "Ro?"

Rokuro's head popped out of a small hole. "Is it morning?" he asked, eyes wide awake.

"It's six," Eizen said, still keeping his voice soft. "Mom and Dad aren't up at but I think Shi is." If their elder brother was indeed awake, he knew they could get a good breakfast from him. Shigure always gave into their whims.

"I'm hungry," Rokuro decided. "Let's go get Shi."

Grinning, Eizen quickly went back to the door, holding it up for his twin. "We have to be quiet," he reminded him. They didn't want their parents up too soon.

"Quiet," Rokuro agreed, grabbing a blanket and wrapping it around his shoulders before hopping off his bed.

Thinking quickly, Eizen decided that was a good idea and quickly grabbed one of his own, draping it dramatically around his shoulders like a cape. Glancing at his brother once, he began to creep down the hall.

Rokuro followed, sneaking their way towards their brother's room.

Making sure that Rokuro was close behind him, Eizen reached their brother's room then opened the door as sneakily as he could.

Rokuro suppressed a giggle as he crept inside.

"What are you two doing?" Shigure asked with a grin, drawing a startled shriek from Eizen. He straightened from where he had been standing beside the wall, having been in wait since he had heard Eizen's giggles from earlier.

Rokuro started laughing before remembering he was supposed to be quiet. He quickly threw a hand over his mouth.

Realizing about the same time as his brother, Eizen also put a hand over his mouth, trying to smother any possible noise.

Grinning still, Shigure shook his head as he stared down at them. They were ridiculous. "Breakfast I'm guessing?"

Rokuro nodded hard, his stomach growling at the same time.

Shigure shook his head, amused. "Well, alright. But both of you need to be quiet." He looked down at both, very impressive in all his eleven years of age.

Rokuro didn't look very impressed. "I am being quiet," he said with a roll of his eyes.

"How about some rice?" Shigure asked with a grin, making sure his voice was quiet as well. "What about some boiled eggs to go with it?"

"Only if there's miso," Rokuro replied. "With seaweed and green onions."

Shigure rolled his eyes. "Why are you so hungry? It's six," he pointed out, though he was fighting a smile.

"We haven't eaten in forever," Eizen said, widening his eyes just so to look innocent.

"Dinner was a long ways away," Rokuro pouted.

Shigure shook his head. "You two are so ridiculous, I want you to know," he said, trying to be serious and failing epically. He couldn't ever be serious. He lead them into the kitchen, wondering how quiet he could make cooking all of this be.

Rokuro pulled his blanket close. He climbed up into one of the big barstools sitting down to watch their big brother make breakfast.

Eizen set too, curling up as much as he could without falling off the stool.

"Are you ready to open presents?" Shigure asked, eyes dancing knowingly as he began making rice. He liked cooking.

"Yes!" Rokuro said excitedly before clapping his hands over his mouth again.

"Shhh." Eizen clapped a hand over his mouth, eyes widening.

Shigure laughed softly, getting the eggs out. "If they haven't woken up yet, I doubt they will," he said, voice hushed.

"When's it going to be ready?" Rokuro asked, now very bored watching Shigure cook.

"I literally just started," Shigure said with a snicker. Rokuro was so impatient.

"But we're hungry," Eizen whined, propping his chin on his hands.

"We are," Rokuro whined as well, hoping it would speed the process along.

Eizen nodded quickly. "We're wasting away," he said pitfully.

Shigure rolled his eyes. "I'm trying to hurry you two."

"Want to play?" Rokuro nudged his brother.

"Play?" Eizen instantly perked up.

"Yeah," Rokuro nodded.

"Of course," Eizen said quickly, nearly falling in his haste to get off the stool.

Rokuro grinned, jumping off his stool to make it to the toy cabinet first. He wanted the blue sword.

"I want the red," Eizen said quickly, forgetting all about being quiet now.

"I want blue!" Rokuro snatched it up, before realizing Eizen wanted red.

Eizen didn't mind this, holding the sword closely for a moment. "Red's my favorite," he reminded him.

"Blue is longer," Rokuro grinned.

Eizen grinned back. "I'm not worried. Red's just cooler," he said, leaping backwards dramatically and waving his sword.

"Blue is better," Rokuro swung at his twin's sword.

"No, it's not," Eizen said stubbornly as he blocked the strike. "Red is. It's the color of a hero."

"So is blue. Allmight wears blue," Rokuro argued.

"He wears red too," Eizen countered instantly, waving his sword again.

"He wears more blue," Rokuro said.

Eizen shrugged. "He still wears red."

Rokuro kept swinging his sword around. "I like blue."

"And I like red," Eizen agreed, swinging his own sword as wildly. He was having too much fun.

"Are you going to get over here for breakfast soon?" Shigure asked, looking at them pointedly. At least they were having fun and hadn't woken their parents yet.

"It's ready!" Rokuro exclaimed

Eizen tossed his toy sword to the floor, then charged over, smelling the air eagerly. He was starving.

"I'm hungry," Rokuro exclaimed.

"Sit," Shigure said, fighting back a laugh at the two demanding faces that were now in front of him. "I'm serving up plates as we speak."

Rokuro sat down eagerly swinging his legs as he waited for breakfast.

Eizen did too, clutching his blanket tightly around himself as he waited.

Shaking his head, Shigure grinned as he put two plates down then got one for himself. "Enjoy."

"Thank you for the food," Rokuro clapped his hands together.

Shigure grinned again, sitting down across from them. "Anything for my little brothers," he promised.

Grinning, Rokuro dug hungrily into his food.

Eizen was already eating, mouth full as he dug in. It was delicious.

"After we finish, want to wake mom and dad up so we can open presents?" Shigure asked, eyes full of excitement.

"Yes!" Rokuro cheered.

"Hurry Ro," Eizen said, beginning to eat more quickly. He was so excited.

"I am,' Rokuro replied around a mouthful of rice.

Shigure laughed, taking much more smaller bites. "Don't choke."

"I won't!" Rokuro protested.

Eizen nodded quickly even as he leveled another bite into his mouth. "We're being careful but we want to open presents, right Ro?"

"Mhm," Rokruo nodded, cheeks stuffed with food.

"What am I going to do with either one of you?" Shigure, fighting back another laugh, took a careful bite of his food.

Eizen, too busy eating, simply shrugged.

"Feed us forever," Rokuro decided, after swallowing.

"Forever?" Shigure snickered.

"Forever," Rokuro nodded seriously.

"Was it that good?" Shigure snickered again at the look on their faces.

"Yummy," Rokuro said.

Eizen quickly finished then stared at his brother, waiting.

Rokuro grabbed his miso bowl, drinking quickly.

Shigure rolled his eyes, amused once again. "Didn't I tell you not to choke?"

"I didn't," Rokuro protested.

Shigure shook his head, sipping at his miso as he watched Rokuro.

"Roooooooo," Eizen said, dragging his brother's nickname out as long as he could.

"Done!" Rokuro shouted. "Let's go wake them up!"

Eizen jumped from his stool. "Come on!"

"Yay!" Rokuro shouted.

Dashing down the hallway, dragging his twin by the hand, Eizen burst through the doorway of his parents bedroom and jumping onto the bed.

"Mom! Dad!" Rokuro yelled, jumping up on their bed as well.

Munenori groaned softly, trying to pull up the blankets. "Boys," he murmured.

Yumi tensed, then relaxed as she realized it was the boys. "It's too early," she murmured.

"We want to open Christmas presents," Eizen cried, bouncing a little on the bed with bright eyes. He was so excited.

"We do we do," Rokuro begged, jumping as well.

Groaning, Munenori pulled at the blankets again. "What time is it?"

"Six forty-five," Shigure said helpfully with a bright grin.

"Well, it is morning," Yumi said, trying to clear the sleep from her mind.

Munenori groaned again as he felt one of the twins bounce again. It had to be Eizen.

"Munenori," Yumi sat up slightly.

"Are we getting up?" Munenori murmured, voice muffled.

"Yes!" Rokuro cheered.

"Pleaseeeeeee," Eizen said,d ragging the word out as he pawed at his parents.

Shigure, deciding he needed to get in on this, climbed onto the bed as well.

"I'm having a very hard time telling them no," Munenori admitted, smiling at his wife.

"Me too," Yumi smiled.

"I blame you for making them look so cute," Munenori teased lightly, rolling over to his side so he could see her. He reached out, stroking her dark hair. He smiled as he found the small strand of white that was nestled in her black mane.

"Mm you were part of that process," Yumi took a deep breath.

"Mom….Dad," Rokuro whined.

"Hurry up," Eizen added, bouncing again to get his point across.

Laughing, Munenori set up, pushing back the blankets. "Alright, you three."

"Go pick out the gift you want to open first," Yumi encouraged, reaching for her robe.

Shigure was instantly off the bed, but Eizen was a step ahead. "Come on," he screeched, racing from the door.

"Wait for me!" Rokuro yelled, nearly falling off the bed.

"Such energy," Yumi pulled the robe over her thin shoulders.

Munenori shook his head as he watched all three scramble out of the room. "How do they do that?"

"I'm not sure," Yumi sat up. She covered her mouth, coughing as she swung her legs off the bed.

Munenori frowned instantly. "Are you alright darling?"

"I'm fine," Yumi smiled.

"Alright." Smiling back, Munenori stood, getting his robe as well. "Come on. Let's go make sure they're not tearing the tree down."

"Yes," Yumi nodded.

Going over to the side of her bed, Munenori offered her his arm. "I have a feeling they're going to have a very good day today."

"It is Christmas," Yumi smiled. "So I think so."

Laughing, Munenori guided her from the room. "They do love Christmas, especially the twins."

"Its because they are so little," Yumi replied.

"Maybe that's it." Munenori smirked as they got to the living room. "I'm guessing Shigure fed them." Their oldest was young, but he knew his way around the kitchen better than perhaps both his parents.

"Oh good," Yumi smiled. "At least they ate."

"I did," Shigure said with a grin from where he was sitting, clutching his present.

"We did," Rokuro nodded. "Very quickly."

"It was delicious," Eizen said, trying and failing to look as patient as possible as he clutched his present.

"Well are you ready?" Yumi asked.

"Yes!" Eizen nodded eagerly, bouncing slightly.

"Youngest first," Yumi reminded them with a wink.

"Yay!" Rokuro cheered.

Eizen groaned pathetically, looking very disappointed.

Rokuro opened up the box, staring with sheer delight at the new pajamas with his favorite hero, the Color Wheel, on them.

"Alright Eizen," Yumi encouraged.

Eizen tore into his, his expression brightening instantly. "I love them," He gasped, holding up his own new pajamas as well. They matched his brother's, down to their favorite hero.

"I love them," Rokuro hugged them.

"We're going to match," Eizen said, expression becoming even more delighted as he realized they were matching. He grinned at his twin, wondering if he had realized that too.

"Shigure?' Yumi smiled.

Trying to look at least somewhat composed, or more so than his brothers, Shigure carefully took his and unwrapped it,, inhaling sharply when he saw what it was. "Comics!"

"Are those the right ones?" Yumi asked.

Shigure nodded quickly, his eyes widened as he studied them. "They're perfect!"

Munenori gently nudged his wife. "I told you."

"I wanted to make sure," Yumi smiled.

Shigure's grin was widening by the moment. "I can't wait to read them!"

"We match!" Rokuro exclaimed, having already shed his old pajamas to put on the new.

"We do now," Eizen said quickly, realizing he needed to change into them and doing so as quickly as he did. He grinned again at his brother, offering him a high five.

Rokuro gave him a high five back as hard as possible.

Eizen made a squeak then he grinned again. "We really look like twins now."

"Yes we do," Rokuro nodded happily.

Eizen nodded back, hair flopping in his face. "I love beings twins."

"Me too," Rokuro grinned.

Eizen suddenly pulled him in for an impromptu hug. "You're my best friend Ro."

"You're squashing me," Rokuro said, but hugged him back.

"Sorry," Eizen said, not sounding sorry at all.

"Can we open another?" Rokuro turned to their parents.

"Of course," Munenori said, glancing over at Shigure who was still engrossed with his comics.

"Which one?" Rokuro stared at the presents under the tree. There were so many!

"Those," Eizen said quickly, pointing to two with their names on them.

"Alright," Rokuro nodded, diving towards the present.

Eizen followed, eager to see what else they had.

"What's inside?" Rokuro shook the box.

Eizen poked him in the shoulder. "It could be breakable."

"Oh," Rokuro said, deciding to tear the paper off.

Eizen quickly began tearing the wrapping off his own, excitement growing by the moment.

Rokuro pulled out a box pulling open the lid. "It's a cup," he breathed, pulling it out carefully.

Eizen gasped, his eyes widening. "With Allmight on them!"

"All Might!" Rokuro cheered pulling his out.

"And mine's red," Eizen said with a grin. He really did like red. It was his favorite color.

"And I have the blue one," Rokuro smiled.

"We know our sons," Munenori said, watching them with a smile as he wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulders.

"We do," Yumi smiled, leaning against her husband as Shigure reached for another gift.

The morning progressed a lot like, which Munenori was fine with. He loved seeing his sons' joy; there was nothing quite like that. Not just their joy but their happiness too. They needed that happiness, now more than anything. Finally, when all of the presents were unwrapped, and the twins and Shigure inspected every gift with great detail, he thought everything had been a success. Of course the presents had been a hit, yet the general companionship between the boys was what really made it. They would be able to get through anything, as long as they had one another.

Yumi leaned against her husband, smiling happily. She loved seeing the excitement on their faces.

"We got you something!" Rokuro grabbed a few messily wrapped gifts from under the tree.

Eizen grabbed his own, followed by Shigure. Both brothers quickly rushed up, offering up the various gifts with bright, excited smiles.

Munenori laughed as Eizen dropped an armful on his lap. "Well, thank you boys."

"We made them." Rokuro whispered loudly.

Eizen threw a hand over his twin's mouth, making Shigure snicker. "Shhh. It's supposed to be a surprise."

"Oops," Rokuro's eyes widened.

"I'm sure they are perfect," Yumi smiled, opening her gift.

Shigure nodded knowingly. "They are." They did a great job.

"Pictures!" Yumi smoothed the wrinkled pages, smiling at the crayon drawings.

Eizen was staring expectedly, looking between both his parents for their approval. He hoped they liked them.

"They're amazing," Munenori promised with a smile, giving Eizen a quick hug, then Rokuro. "I'll hang them up on the refrigerator."

"Do you like them?" Rokuro climbed into his mother's lap.

"I love them," Yumi smiled, wrapping her arms around him.

Eizen, perched on his father's lap, looked delighted. "Really?" He reached for her, wanting to be in on the hug too.

"Really," Yumi pulled him closer. She kissed both her boys on the cheeks.

"Best Christmas ever," Rokuro smiled happily.

* * *

 _Present_

It had been almost two weeks since the incident. All the students had been sent home as the school regrouped. They would resume classes next week, like nothing had happened. Rokuro kicked at a rock as he walked down the sidewalk. He'd spent two days in the hospital having tests run on him. So had Eizen, but his twin had to stay longer because of the quirk effect that he had been lucky to escape. Running a hand through his spikey pale hair, Rokuro turned into a cemetery, surrounded by a white fence with smooth green grass dotted with the gravestones. It'd been a while since he got to visit, since he was in the dorm rooms and with studies he had let his time slip away.

He stopped beside a gravestone, bending down he put down the flowers he had bought. He sighed, glancing at the lettering across the gray stone.

 _Yumi Saito, loving wife and mother. Born January 17th-Died April 4th._

"I didn't expect you here," Eizen said softly, peering around the back of the gravestone to find his twin. He had been sitting by his mother's stone, for almost an hour now, trying to find the solace that he hadn't seen since their mother had lost her two year battle with cancer.

"I didn't expect you either," Rokuro nearly jumped, before sitting down on the opposite side.

Eizen pushed back his black hair which had fallen in his eyes. "How...how are you?" he asked, voice just as soft as before.

"Fine," Rokuro said gruffly, staring off across the cemetery. "You?"

Resting his head on the smooth marble, Eizen shrugged. It was better than it could have been, he guessed.

Rokuro sat silently for a moment. "I guess we haven't gotten along together much since we developed our quirks after Mom died."

"No, I don't suppose we have." Eizen pulled his knees up to his chest, resting his head on them and letting his hair fall over his face again. Their mother...how could nothing save her?

Rokuro clenched his fist. He had been so helpless, unable to help her at all. "I felt your quirk that night."

Eizen blinked, surprised by this turn of conversation. "What?" He could barely remember anything that has transpired over those several hours, which he thought was the best thing.

"It was really depressing," Rokuro stared hard at the ground.

Eizen looked down. He supposed it would be, for someone not used to it.

"I guess that's why you are so down consistently," Rokuro said.

Eizen sighed softly. "I try not to be but...it's there." It was always there.

"I guess I never understood it," Rokuro replied. "I thought you wanted attention from Dad or Shigure."

At that, Eizen made a face. "Why would I want that? I really don't like that kind of stuff."

"It's because you're so much like Dad and Shigure…" Rokuro tore at the grass, shredding it in his hand. "And I'm not."

Eizen's brows knitted, just slightly. "That's because you're like…" He choked a little, cleared his throat. "You're like mom."

Rokuro swallowed hard, staring at his hands. He was like mom? "You...think so?" he asked. He had always felt different. He couldn't learn his father and brother's prefered method of fighting, instead of having to create his own that never matched up.

Eizen nodded, also looking down. "Yeah. You've always been like her, every since we were kids. I mean, you were always with her, like her shadow, when she was doing things around the house."

"I'm like mom," Rokuro stared at his hands. The rage inside him seemed to quiet slightly. That meant...he didn't need to live up to his father's image.

"You're like mom," Eizen agreed softly, looking at him beneath his strands of black hair. He couldn't read his expression but...that was undeniable relief in his voice.

Rokuro was silent for several more seconds. Finally he held out his fist, in an old gesture they hadn't used since they were little, before their quirks manifested, before their mom had died. "Let's become heroes...alright?"

His eyes widening, Eizen stared at him, surprise flooding his features. After a moment, he reached out, tapping his twin's fist with his own. "Let's," he said, then hesitated again. "Can we be brothers again too?" He didn't understand this change in his brother's behavior but maybe he did. Maybe he understood more than he realized.

Rokuro smiled, leaning back against their mother's grave. Maybe...just maybe they were beginning to understand each other again.

It felt good.

* * *

 _ **MERRY CHRISTMAS**_


	29. Chapter 26

_Reviews with Alumni and Loki_ :

 _Hofund ~ Maybe a little less depressing *laughs* or not...real life Christmas was pretty awesome! Thanks for thinking of us!_

 _Supreme Kai of Booty ~ Sounds like a crazy Christmas! Happy New Year to you as well!_

 _gold crown dragon ~ Not so very romantic this one, butttt...we will be getting a bit more so these next two chapters._

 _61394 ~ Happy Holidays and New Year!_

 _LifeisBeautiful17 ~ Thanks! Aww...It's good to be back!_

 _Chester A Bum ~ Glad you liked it! Once you were a cute little boi, then you grew into your role of Chester A Bum! Update! Happy New Year!_

* * *

 ** _2020 ~ HAPPY NEW YEARS! ~ 2020_**

* * *

"How did it feel walking out to find chaos outside from the attack?" Doctor Mura asked. "Knowing your classmates were in trouble and Villains were on school property."

Yukiko Ikeda shifted stiffly in her chair. She didn't know what she felt really. That night had been so confusing. Hard to believe it had been just three weeks. A big gap in the school year.

"Just weird. We weren't near any of the danger. So...I don't have many feelings on the matter. It just seemed strange."

"Is that all, Miss Ikeda?" Doctor Mura watched her.

"Yeah," Yukiko said.

Strange. Just like having to attend mandatory appointments with the school psychiatrist. Then again, nothing that night had felt right. So perhaps it was strange. They had gotten most of their information from the television. Police had found them outside and strongly encouraged them to return to the dorms. They hadn't disobeyed. Her mind wandered briefly to Anamiya before returning to her session. Only fifteen minutes left.

* * *

"You were there that night. Is it correct that you can't remember anything from the attack apart from the initial screaming?"

"That's right," Genjiro Katou nodded. "We heard some screaming then went outside to see what was going on. That's when I guess whatever insanity hit us."

He fidgeted, legs bouncing nervously. Was it a bad thing he didn't remember anything about the attack? They were heroes in training and couldn't provide any useful information. He felt a bit dumb.

"How does not remembering anything affect you?" Doctor Mura asked.

"It makes me feel...kinda useless," Genjiro admitted. "I heard there were a few students that weren't affected and actually fought off the villains. I feel like I could have done more, but then...there were high ranking Pro Heroes out there that got knocked out just as bad as I did. I wish there was a solution. But I don't know if getting stronger is the right one."

"An insightful observation." Doctor Mura nodded. "Why isn't getting stronger better?"

"Well, not stronger as in better but as in strengthening my quirk. Sure that's good but I need to be smarter too. I don't know how but surely there were ways to prevent what happened that night."

* * *

"Can you remember anything striking? Something you might not be able to forget for a long time?

"Probably just the fact I can't remember anything," Kaede Kōmori sighed.

Her dad had coached her on therapist sessions. There wasn't anything to be afraid or nervous about. Just tell the doctor the first thing that came to mind. Tell the doctor things you might not tell other people. Even those closest to you. Kaede had nothing to hide though.

"How does this affect you, returning to classes?" Doctor Mura looked up.

"It probably makes me more determined to improve." Kaede replied after a moment's thought. "I was completely helpless and even though she got taken out the Sidekick Earphone Jack was able to take out the speakers that connected the sound system to the entire school. I want to make sure I am prepared, to be able to do something when a Villain attacks."

Yes, she didn't want to be helpless the next time villains decided to attack. Be it now or when she was a Pro hero rescuing people the world's evils. Next time she would be more prepared.

* * *

"What was it like, waking up?"

"Wet," Akio Saito muttered after a moment. He wasn't comfortable doing this and would prefer not to. Talking wasn't going to help, at least for him. It never did.

"Wet?" Doctor Mura asked. "Could you elaborate?"

Akio stared at him for a moment. "My Quirk is water based. It was out of control." When he had woken, everything that was even somewhat close had been soaked.

"Ah, wet describing physical feeling," Doctor Mura nodded. "What about emotional feelings? What was it like being taken to the hospital? What did it feel like being a victim of a Villain attack?"

Akio resisted the urge to check the time. He was ready to be done. "I'm the son of two Pro Heros, and the brother of many. I know that things happen, sometimes out of your control, when you're a Hero. I, among many others, were taken out by something we weren't expecting. It is what it is. There's no going back." It was time to move on.

"I see."

* * *

"Do you feel any responsibility for what happened that night? Such as do you ask yourself 'what if' questions?"

Eizen Saito stared out the window. He wasn't sure how to answer any of that. He felt responsibility for a lot of things, but not this. Maybe if he had any idea, if there was even a inkling...but he did ask himself those kinds of questions, especially when he had found out Keoko had gotten hurt. That wasn't a thought he wanted to linger on. "Sort of," he murmured. It was the easiest explanation.

"Could you share one of them with me?" Doctor Mura asked.

A moment passed, then two before Eizen remembered how to exhale. "If I had Keoko's back, she wouldn't have gotten injured," he said softly. He should have been there.

"There's no way of knowing that," Doctor Mura said softly. "Her injury was minor and resulted from a fall. Something like that can happen every day. None of what happened was your fault. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah," Eizen said, voice still soft, after several long moments. "But it doesn't make any of this easier." How could it, when Keoko had been in tears from the pain?

"No, it doesn't, but blaming yourself won't help. What you can do is be there for your friend. You couldn't prevent it, but you can support her when she needs it most."

* * *

"You fought two of the villains if I remember correctly, is that right?"

"Yes," Rokuro Saito slouched in his chair, annoyance clearly visible.

He had already talked with the doctors at the hospital and with Pro Heroes and Police officers. He was starting to get tired of repeating the same story over and over again. Nothing about that night made sense, to himself or the rest of the world. The police had failed to stomp out the media coverage and the attack had been broadcasted on every station, covered in every blog, and printed on every tabloid. There wasn't a single secret about the attack besides the Villan's motives.

Though he was pretty sure those two girls were in it just for fun. It still bothered him how easily the clearly younger girls were able to take him down so quickly.

"How does this affect your outlook on returning to school?" Doctor Mura asked.

"I'm gonna train like hell to get stronger," Rokuro made a fist. "A bunch of heroes got their assess handed to them by a bunch of measly villains. Next time I want it to be the other way around."

"You recovered quickly because of another student's quirk," Doctor Mura noted. "But what were you feeling during the fight? Are you holding any grudges towards the villains you fought?"

* * *

"How has your injury affected your return to school?"

"It really hasn't! I'm actually excited. We have a lot of catch up book work and I have a doctors note for anything physical. Plus now that we are back everyone can sign my cast."

Keoko Shimizu swung her legs back and forth as she looked at the doctor. Her arm was wrapped in a rather hot pink cast, already signed with neat handwriting 'Akio' and 'Eizen' with 'Akari' sprawled over one side with big letters.

Doctor Mura smiled. "Do you remember getting the injury?"

"No, I don't," Keoko sobered. "All I remember is waking up and my arm hurting a lot. I know a bunch of my friends were going to the hospital too and I was really worried for them. Plus the awful attack on U.A. I heard a lot of the Pro Heroes had injuries. It's really sad and I don't like those jerky Villains for causing so much trouble. It was a charity fundraiser!"

"What are your feelings about the villains?"

"I think they are meanies," Keoko made a face. "There wasn't any money to steal. All they wanted to do was pick on my friends and all those nice people. I hope the heroes catch them all and make them realize what they've done."

"I see."

* * *

"What affected you most that night?"

Kaori Tsukinose raised an eyebrow, staring at him for a long moment in silence "I wasn't affected," she said flatly. He was acting if she was about to break.

"No thoughts when the attack began or when you woke up?" Doctor Mura asked, tapping his chin thoughtfully with his pen. She was going to be one of the difficult ones.

"I believe my thoughts were "Oh, it seems I was right" and "I broke the heel of my shoe" respectivally," Kaori said evenly, looking around his office. He was organized, perhaps more than she had ever seen someone actually be.

"So you anticipated the attack?" Doctor Mura asked curiously.

"Anyone with half a brain would have," Kaori said with a shrug. Though that might be generous.

"You must admit that the percentage of an attack wasn't very high," Doctor Mura noted. "Were you feelings on the matter the same after seeing the scale of the attack and the aftermath?"

Kaori leaned back in her chair. "Yes. Now are we done? I have an appointment with my mother and I hate to waste time for either one of us."

"Surprising sentiment, Miss Tsukinose," Doctor Mura smiled, knowing exactly what she was doing. "I think we can let out five minutes early this time. Thank you for your time."

Kaori stood, and the smile she gave didn't reach her eyes. It didn't come close. "Of course."

* * *

"How did you feel battling the two villains? What were your motives at that moment?"

"That I wanted to help Rokuro Saito," Akari Seishin said with a sigh. She had her knees drawn up to her chest in the chair she was sitting in, her arms wrapped tightly around them. "It was scary, I realize that now that the adrenaline has faded, but I would do it again."

"Spoken like a true hero," Doctor Mura smiled. "I read that you were actually hurt pretty badly, until one of your classmates healed you."

"Oh, yes." Akari smiled a little at that. "Without him, I doubt I would be here." That was a thought that scared her, how close she came to dying, but at the same time, that hadn't changed her desire to be a Hero. If anything, it just made it all the more strong.

"What was going through you mind when you were hurt, before he showed up?" Doctor Mura asked gently.

Akari thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I don't really remember something exact, other than I was really worried about Rokuro. He was hurt too and I knew if I fell, our odds would be next to none, since I didn't think anyone was around to show up."

"How does that affect you moving forward?"

* * *

"What were your thoughts when you found out about the attack happening on the very school grounds you were on?"

Haruto Hanko sighed, trying to sort through his memories. He wasn't really good at sharing feelings things. He remembered being disappointed he hadn't been there to fight the villains maybe being angry about them attacking? Or was that excitement?

"I guess I wanted to fight them," he answered, sinking into the very soft chair.

"Were you upset they had attacked?"

"Yes," Haruto decided.

"If you were in the city and saw one of the villains broadcasted in the news what would you do?"

"I'd fight them," Haruto said assuredly.

"Well, I'm afraid it isn't as simple as that," Doctor Mura smiled. "See you don't have a Hero License yet. Attacking off school grounds and in public means you could get into worse trouble than the Villain. Let me explain it to you…"

* * *

"What would you have done different? If you could."

"Actually protected someone instead of being knocked out the entire time," Fuyuki Moto sighed. She knew how therapy sessions worked. "But I can't go back. All I can do is move forward."

Just as she was now, forging herself a path forward now that didn't have to look back at the past anymore. She didn't have to drag around her mother's dead weight and guilt anymore. She was being a hero because she wanted to be one. Not to prove a point or to be a better hero. No, she was going to be the best hero she could be.

"A good outlook," Doctor Mura nodded. "What bothered you most about the aftermath?"

"Just how everything was a wreck," Fuyuki admitted. "No one thinks that a few Villains could take down a room full of heroes."

"Does that mean you've lost trust in heroes?"

"No, it means I'm that much more wary of the Villains." Fuyuki clenched her hands into fists. "Heroes aren't the only smart ones. This isn't some cartoon where the Villains are all stupid. They are smart people, with real dangerous plans and we have to work hard to outsmart them."

"True," Doctor Mura smiled. "I'm sure your teachers would be very happy with your responses. Let's move on…"

* * *

"You never got to see what happened except on the news, is that correct? Though you and another student headed out to see what had happened, you were met by the police, yes?"

His leg bouncing, Anamiya Yun nodded, fiddling with his armrest. That summed everything up.

"What were your thoughts that night watching the news report on what went down?" Doctor Mura asked, noting his patient's obvious movements.

"I...well...I was worried for my friends," Anamiya murmured, wondering how he could possibly just shrink up and disappear forever. Maybe the chair would take him. That would be nice. He really didn't like being the center of attention like this.

"Now that your friends are safe, what are your feelings on a Villain attack, literally in your school?" Doctor Mura asked, pushing the boy's cup of tea closer to him.

"Um." Anamiya stared at the cup for a moment, then took it. It gave him something to do with his hands, to focus on. "It's terrifying but what can we expect? We're Heroes..or almost...well, not really, we still have a ways to go...but yeah, we're a school for Heroes and they're villains. These things happen, I guess."

"Not your ordinary school occurrence though," Doctor Mura noted. "But I'm glad you are taking this as a learning moment."

"Yeah." Anamiya's mind drifted to Yukiko, just briefly. "A learning moment." He quickly took a sip of his tea. That was it exactly.

* * *

"And the aftermath? How did you feel after waking up and learning what had happened?"

Hikari Raiji thought for a moment. "Logically, while there were many victims, it could have been a lot worse so relieved."

"Do you feel as if you could have helped in any way had you avoided being knocked out?" Doctor Mura tilted his head.

"I was knocked out." Hikari frowned, just slightly. "So it would be pointless to consider other possibilities." She wasn't really sure why he was taking this approach but she thought it was lacking major logic.

"I see," Doctor Mura nodded. "How does the attack affect you now that you are back in school? Are there changes or goals you have made for yourself?"

"I believe while it would be beneficial for me to strengthen my Quirk, so I can be as ready as I can be if something like this happens again," which had a surprisingly low percentage if Hikari calculated the odds right, which she did, "I don't think it's the most important. Kaori Tsukinose believes we could have prevented this from happening and I think she's right. We need to do better."

"Something wise to consider," Doctor Mura nodded. "But don't blame what happened on yourselves. If it was to be prevented, the duty landed on the shoulders of the Pro Heroes, not the students."

* * *

"How will you move on from this point? This attack is a turning point in your life, how will it affect you?"

"I guess I'll try to be stronger," Hinata Rakugaki shrugged. "Sounds like the best plan."

"True, but what are your plans on getting stronger?" Doctor Mura inquired.

"I guess going to classes, same as always and making sure I stay up to date with my combat classes," Hinata said.

"Is there anything motivating you to push harder?"

"Yeah, my friends' lives were in danger," Hinata said. "I want to make sure that doesn't happen again but that's kinda stupid cause they want to be heroes too. We are always going to be in danger, that's one of the fun parts of the job."

"So what did you take away from this?"

"Always be prepared?" Hinata shrugged again. "Expect the unexpected? Stuff like that. Besides that just keep working on becoming a hero because that's how you really hurt the Villains, right? Just keep moving on, like nothing happened, don't let them interfere with who we are?"

"Good thoughts, Miss Rakugaki," Doctor Mura smiled.

* * *

"What are you going to do now, resuming classes with the knowledge you have now?"

"Well," Sutoi Daitenshi began, then stopped, thinking over the question. "I guess I'll always keep in mind that villains are capable of doing anything, of attacking anywhere, and I need to be prepared as best as I can be." How real everything was now.

"Knowing this, how are you going to prepare yourself?" Doctor Mura queried, writing down a few notes.

Sutoi noticed this and tried not to fidget. What was he writing about? "Pay more attention in class. Learn from my friends, especially the ones who fought. I feel like they probably have some insight."

"Do you feel as if they have an advantage over you and others who didn't fight with the villains?"

"In a way, yeah, I mean they fought real villains." Sutoi shrugged. "But I wouldn't want to trade places with them. We're still learning and they're full fledged villains. That could have gotten so bad, you know?"

"Yes," Doctor Mura nodded. "Thank you for coming in today, Mr. Daitenshi, I believe that is all the time we have for now and I don't want to make you late for class. I'll see you at our next session?"

Sutoi nodded, giving him a quick grin as he stood. "Thanks Doc. I'll see you then." These sessions weren't that bad.

* * *

Doctor Mura smiled. He had a feeling these students were going to be great Heroes someday. He turned on his television, flipping to the news. New updates on the Hero Rankings completed for the month.

 _"This is your host Aimi Watanabe and my co-host Reo Tanaka bringing you the latest news. Recently do to public outcry a new poll has been officially submitted. Scores have changed drastically changed from the poll just last month!"_

 _"Yes, Watanabe, many speculate that the recent Charity Attack played a large role in the voting."_

 _"And we are here, bringing you the first look at the new top ten."_

Mura blinked in surprise. That was a drastic change since the last poll. Almost a completely new set of names.

 **1\. Bishamonten**

 **2\. Deku**

 **3\. Mt. Lady**

 **4\. Edgeshot**

 **5\. Centipeder**

 **6\. Kamui Woods**

 **7\. Ryukyu**

 **8\. Bubble Girl**

 **9\. Dynamite**

 **10\. Shouto**

"Busy?" Shota Aizawa stepped inside, hands in his pockets.

"Not at all," Doctor Mura looked up, putting his phone down. "I'm glad to see your back at school. Are you here for an appointment?"

Shota glared at him underneath strands of black hair. "No," he said flatly. "But we do have things to discuss."

"I can always hope," Doctor Mura smiled. "Well then. What do you need?"

Shota purposefully ignored that. "I was going to let you know for your records that Hanami Kinoshita, Reine Marseille and Yajima Rushaindo are all going to private doctors. Kinoshita has already been cleared as well."

"Ah, that makes sense," Mura nodded. "What about Liam Crook? I noticed he missed his appointment."

Of course he did. Shota wasn't surprised. "Crook is highly paranoid and doesn't trust easy. I would be surprised if he had come."

"Perhaps all the more reason to come, but I can't make anyone." Mura shrugged. "How are you doing since that night?"

"Fine," Shota said, turning. He wasn't about to get involved in that kind of conversation.

"Have you seen the new hero ratings?" Mura changed the subject quickly.

At that, Shota turned back. "They're interesting, aren't they?"

"Yes," Mura nodded. "The young hero Deku used to be a student of yours? From Seventh to Second. That's quite a jump."

Shota nodded after a moment. "It is, however, he's earned it." He frowned slightly. "Bishamonten is definitely the people's hero."

"He also wasn't involved that night," Doctor Mura noted.

"Shota was silent for a moment, staring at the muted television. "I have a feeling," he said finally. "That we'll be having repercussions from that night for a very long time to come." He shook his head, looking back at Mura. "It was certainly a mess."

"It is the very nature of villains to clash against the heroes. Something like this was bound to happen," Mura noted. "It's just how things are in this world. But in the end we'll prevail," he said with an encouraging nod towards Aizawa.

Shota studied him for a moment, then nodded back. "I suppose so." With those words, he turned again. "I'll see you around."

"Hopefully for your appointment," Mura called helpfully.

Shota rolled his eyes. "Take care of our students!" he called back, closing the door behind him. He shook his head, then went down the hall. He had a long day ahead.

* * *

"It's time for you to choose Hero names."

Akari was a bundle of nerves, though she wasn't sure why. She had already picked out her name, had a while ago, but it was all so official now. She took a deep breath, then released it. Finally, something good to focus on; the charity dinner would be best if forgotten entirely.

"Here are boards and chalk," Midnight said, passing around the black boards with pieces of white chalk. "Take some time and we'll look over your first tries when everyone finishes."

"Where's Rin?" Anamiya murmured, turning to Genjiro. He had been expecting their other friend, but it was now five after the class period and so far, Rin hadn't arrived. Surely he was coming.

"I don't know," Genjiro looked around. "Have you seen him in the dorms?"

Anamiya played with his thumbnail for a moment, worried as he stared down at his chalkboard." No," he said softly. "I think he's avoiding us."

"He is," Kaori agreed from where she was sitting on top of the desk beside Genjiro's. They weren't in their usual seatings as some classmates were seeking opinions of others. She had decided to move when Seishin and Shimizu started having a lively conversation about possibilities for the latter.

"You were the one who said he was arrested," Genjiro pointed out. "He could still be…"

Kaori rolled her eyes, tucking her feet beneath her. "The police had no actual evidence to hold him on," she countered. "But he gave them some information anyway. He's freed. He's just being an idiot because he feels bad." Like that made any sense.

"Maybe he'll come back tonight," Genjiro said hopefully. "What do you guys think of Parasite as my name?"

"That's stupid. You sound like you're some sort of villian," Kaori said with a frown. It was a painful choice.

"I like it," Anamiya said quickly and loyally, looking at Genjiro. At least he had a name. He still didn't know.

Genjiro sighed, "That's what everyone keeps saying, but I absorb energy so it was the best I could come up with. This is harder than it looks."

"You should have been thinking about it months ago," Kaori pointed out, glancing briefly at the door before looking back at the two boys.

Anamiya squirmed. She was right. Why hadn't he thought of something already?

"I mean, I've thought about it a lot over the years, but I didn't realize I needed to be so serious about it so soon…" Genjiro made a face.

Kaori rolled her eyes again, reaching up and pulling her hair back into a ponytail. "What are your other choices?"

That was Anamiya's problem. But there was also the fact he never really thought he would make it this far. He sighed, looking at his chalkboard. He didn't know what to put.

"Well there's this name I came up with a few years ago...but its kinda dumb…" Genjiro fidgeted.

"What is it?" Kaori narrowed her eyes. Likely it couldn't be as dumb as the first one which would instantly make it the better choice.

"Well...Red Detonation…" Genjiro looked sheepish. "Cause...of Red Riot."

Kaori stared at him for a moment, then nodded. "Better. Dumb but not as dumb. I don't think you can find something better so use it."

"You think so?" Genjiro asked.

Kaori nodded again, frowning at the door again"I do. Do you know he took that name in honor of someone else?"

"He did!" Genjiro looked up. "I remember that now from one of those interviews!"

Kaori nodded, stretching slightly. "The Crimson Riot. So he understands, I assume, the idea of doing things in honor of your hero." Sentiment, but she supposed it worked for them.

"What is your hero name?" Genjiro asked, narrowing his eyes slightly.

"Hildr," Kaori said, staring at him evenly.

"Huh?" Genjiro looked at her. "What does that mean?"

"Isn't it a Valkyrie?" Anamiya squirmed under her sudden gaze. "The one who revived the dead...on the battlefield?"

"That's not creepy at all," Genjiro noted.

Kaori reached out, hitting him in the arm. "Valkyries make the decision between life and death," she said, not even sure why she was bothering to explain this. "Hildr, while problematic, was the bridge between two opposing forces. Without her, many would be dead, forever, in that conflict."

"Oh, that makes sense," Genjiro said after a moment.

Of course it did. Kaori wouldn't have chosen the name if it wasn't the right fit. She glanced at Anamiya, eyebrow raised. "You haven't figured out yours."

Anamiya instantly squirmed again. He didn't like being the center of attention. "No," he admitted, verbally tripping over the word.

"Do you look up to anyone?" Genjiro asked.

"Deku," Anamiya admitted. He slouched deeper into his seat. Kaori kept staring at him.

"Oh he's number two now, did you hear?" Genjiro said excitedly.

Anamiya nodded quickly. "He deserves it," he said, quite sure of that.

"Hamask," Kaori said, pointing at Anamiya suddenly with as finger. "That's what you should be."

"I don't think he wants to be a bean dip," Genjiro shook his head.

"A bean dip?" Anamiya widened his eyes at that, straightening slightly.

Kaori hit Genjiro again. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard." It was, and she had heard plenty of stupid things. "Hamask means to go berserk."

"Oh," Genjiro said. "Well that does describe his quirk."

"Hamask," Anamiya repeated to himself then looked over at Genjiro. "What do you think?"

"I like it, do you?" Genjiro asked.

"I think so," Anamiya decided, writing it down. "What do you think Rin will pick?"

"No clue," Genjiro said. "Maybe something like Doctor…"

"That would also be stupid," Kaori said with a sigh as she looked at her phone.

"Why?" Genjiro sighed.

"Because it would be," Kaori said firmly, not in the mood to explain her reasoning.

"But he heals people," Genjiro pointed out.

As Kaoroi opened her mouth to argue, Anamiya was certain of that, he held up a hand. "Why don't we...you know...have Rin decide?" Where was Rin?

"Good idea," Genjiro replied.

"If he comes," Anamiya murmured. He was very worried. Why wouldn't he be here?

"Alright everyone. Why don't you come to the front of class and share you chosen names with each other?" Midnight called.

Hanami stood, deciding to make the first move since no one else seemed all that interested, or at least they didn't in the five seconds that Hamani took to make her decision after Midnight had finished speaking. She strode to the front, then turned to face her classmates. "I decided on Magnetic." She flexed her gloved fingers in case they didn't understand why she picked the name she did.

"Good choice," Midnight praised her. "Who's next?"

Rokuro stood up, spinning his board so it could be seen. "Effret," he said. The decision had been made a long time ago. "The Righteous Berserker."

Eizen gave his twin a small smile. It was very fitting and always had been; they had picked their names out together when they were younger, before things got...bad...between them.

"Rolls off the tongue," Midnight nodded.

"Mystera," Akari said brightly. She loved her name and was very proud of it.

"Great touch!" Midnight praised.

"Shady," Laim muttered from where he set, dark hair and dark clothes making him exactly that. He was watching his other classmates closely, though he was somewhat more relaxed than he usually was. It was because of Midnight, a Pro; the only ones you could really trust.

"A unique choice," Midnight leaned against her desk with a nod of approval. "Who's next?"

"I...I...er picked Hamask," Anamiya said quietly, shifting in his chair.

"Easy to say, people will love it." Midnight nodded.

Anamiya wasn't sure about that but he didn't like his classmates staring so he sunk deeper into his chair.

"Tundra," Yukiko stated, holding up her board from where she sat. She didn't want to go stand up there and thought she would do this while the teacher was allowing it.

"Perfect," Midnight nodded. "Everyone come up to the front of the room so the rest of the class can see."

Yukiko hid her face behind her board. Perfect timing.

Anamiya was watching her before he caught herself. He flushed, looking away.

Akio's expression was less than impressed. That wasn't appealing to him and judging from Eizen's face, he felt the same way.

Genjiro hopped up, grabbing his board at the last second and taking a moment trying not to drop it. Flushing slightly, he went to the head of the class, showing his board. "Red Detonation," he said proudly.

"Excellent," Midnight nodded. "It has a nice ring to it!"

Nodding her approval at the name, as it really did fit him, Hikari showed off her board as well. "Eleckta."

"The Lightning Hero," Genjiro said, backing into his desk chair. "Good name."

"The…?" Hikari blinked, considering this for a moment as she looked down at her board. It did make a sort of sense, considering both the name she had chosen and her Quirk. "Yes," she said, nodding after a moment as she went back to her desk. "The Lightning Hero indeed. Thank you."

"Yeah," Genjiro grinned at her. "Next time you'll totally kick my butt."

Hikari's lips twitched, but she didn't reply. Perhaps she would.

Sutoi went up as soon as she left, showing his board off to his classmates. He was very pleased with what he had picked. "Archangel." He loved flying so much, now that he could do it, he couldn't help but incorporate that ability into his hero name.

"Suits you," Midnight nodded. "Anyone else?" she glanced at the students still staring blankly at their empty boards.

"Hildr," Kaori said, glancing up from where she had been staring at the door for the last ten minutes. This process was holding no interest for her.

"Interesting," Midnight replied.

Akio slid his board to Keoko. She would have no problem standing in front of everyone, but he would so this worked fine.

Keoko nodded, taking her board and Akio's board. Sometimes he was silly about things. The whole class was their friends.

"Akio is going to be Current and I'm going to be the Manipulator," Keoko waved her arms around.

"Mm, maybe not the best name," Midnight said after a moment.

"Akio's name is perfect!" Keoko protested.

"I mean yours. It's a bit, dark," Midnight noted.

"Really?" Keoko's eyes widened, glancing at Akio.

Akio shrugged. He had tried to convince her but as she could out stubborn near everyone, he had quickly given up.

"Marionettist might be what you're looking for," Eizen said softly. It was close and didn't have the tone of her other pick.

"Marionettist?' Keoko walked over to his desk.

Eizen nodded, looking at her beneath the black strands of his hair.

"Does that work?" Keoko asked, turning towards Midnight.

"Unique and matches you quirk well," Midnight nodded.

Eizen set back in his chair, watching Keoko. Did she like it?

"I like it," Keoko smiled. "Sounds like I'm out of a fairy tale."

Ducking his head, Eizen gave her a brief smile. He had hoped she would be partial to it.

"Psst, Eizen, what is your hero name?' Keoko asked, sitting down.

In response, Eizen showed her his board. Across it, in his looping scrawl was "Fujin, the Silent Swordsman."

"Fujin," Keoko grinned. "That's great."

"Thanks," Eizen said softly, sinking into his seat more.

"Sea King," Haruto rumbled as he stood up.

"Bold, and it suits you as a fish hero," Midnight nodded. "Who's left?" She was surprised they had such good names. Usually there were a few rejects or ones that spent half the day deciding. She liked this class.

"Blindshot," Yajima spoke, with a flip of his hair. "The Eyeless Hero."

"Fitting," Midnight agreed.

"Wait, why the eyeless hero?" Keoko whispered as she kicked at Akio's chair.

"He's…" Akio suddenly remembered their misadventure. Shit. He never wanted to remember that. "He's just dramatic," he murmured back. It was easier that way.

"Oh," Keoko muttered. It made sense.

Hinata jumped up, spinning her chalkboard which had been decorated with elaborate lettering for one piece of white chalk. "Loki, the trickster hero!" she grinned.

"Interesting choice," Midnight noted. She could see it, with the popping out of nowhere so to speak.

"Blue Bat," Kaede finally walked up, having had trouble on what she would like to be called. She had decided on a mix of her favorite comic book hero and real life hero.

"Perfect," Midnight said.

"You first," Reine whispered to Fuyuki. Since she hadn't made a grand entrance, she would make a great exit!

Fuyuki nodded, though she took her time getting out of her seat and making her way up to the front of the class.

"Smokescreen," she flipped her board around, glancing at the teacher.

"I like it," Midnight nodded. She was starting to run out of compliments, a hazard for this class. At least they were one from finishing.

Reine stood up primly, walking to the front of the class. "I have spent a lot of time on my Hero name. It started when I was just four years old and decided on the name Arrow Queen. Well obviously that has changed, and many times since that moment. I tried copying some of my favorite heroes but they never really fit me."

She paused momentarily for a breath.

"But as my quirk developed I learned so much about myself! As some of you may know my quirk depends a lot on luck! So after some thought I came up with my hero name! Not only that but I want to share my luck with everyone...so I will be…"

"Lucky, the Messenger Hero! I'll deliver smiles to the whole world! Lucky at your service!"

* * *

Shota looked at his watch, then made a decision. There was still ten minutes left of class, but he had been out all night and filling in for Kito, who called in at the last minute, was not something he had planned for. All in all, he was too tired for Kito's shit. "Let's call it a day, class."

"That was a lot," Genjiro took a deep breath. "Did I fall out of shape in two weeks?"

Kaori raised an eyebrow, opening her mouth.

Anamiya's eyes widened. "You don't have to answer every question Kaori," he said quickly, falling into step behind Akio. They were going back to the classroom, promised treats from Reine.

"It's probably the bowls of pork ramen," Genjiro grinned at her. "That was the answer, right?"

Kaori narrowed her eyes, just slightly. "It's always the ramen."

"I'll keep a strict diet," Genjiro promised.

"You've said that three times already," Kaori pointed out, wondering if he had forgotten that. "You take far too much joy out of it."

"I'll say it again!" Genjiro nodded.

"Until you do it?" Kaori's eyebrow was back to being arched.

"Yes," Genjiro poked at her.

Kaori slapped at his hand. "Why did you do that for?"

"Because," Genjiro shrugged.

Anamiya shook his head. One of these days, he was sure she would actually hit Genjiro and he wasn't sure if he would feel sorry for him or not. "Come on guys. Let's see what she brought," he said, stepping into the classroom. Maybe that would distract Genjiro.

"Cookies!" Keoko squealed ahead of them. "Reine you are the best!"

Not interested, Kaori slunk around the crowd gathering at the table where the cookies were. She settled on the edge of her desk, annoyed. Half of her classmates were bearable, but after several classes with just them, they grew boring. Rin, at least when he was here, was entertaining.

Shota rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Take your seats after you get your cookies," he said, wondering how they didn't reach that conclusion themselves. It was better than crowding the door.

Genjiro looked up as he sat down with his cookie. Funny, that screen hadn't been there before. Were they going to show something?

Feeling something vibrate against his leg, Shota looked at his phone, frowning as he read the message. Not what he had been expecting. Shaking his head, he reached for the remote, turning the screen on.

"Hello, fellow classmates and students of U.A. High." Rin appeared on the screen after a second. "I wanted to apologize for my recent involvement in the attack on our school."

Kaori stiffened instantly. What the hell was he doing? She studied him carefully, eyes scanning every inch of him as she filled in the details. Of course. Of course.

"I wasn't truthful when I enrolled here, using my mother's maiden name," Rin spoke looking into the camera. "My father's surname is Tatsugami and I am the third son of Masa Tatsugami, known crime lord and leader of the Tatsugami clan. I reject his way of thinking and strive everyday to be a hero. However I am ashamed of my bloodline's role in the attack on our school."

Genjiro's eyes widened as he watched. Wait...what was happening? He didn't really understand…

"I want to apologize to everyone here," Rin bowed deeply. "I am sorry for what happened and that my family hurt you and this school that I love. I am sorry for lying about who I am."

Anamiya was staring at the screen, just as wide-eyed as Genjiro beside him. Was Rin really doing this? But why? Did he really feel so guilty?

Kaori suddenly stood, her eyes narrowed. He was an idiot. He was such an idiot! Why was he letting unwarranted guilt open his mouth? A fool and an idiot.

"Principal's office," Genjiro stood up. "Come on."

Anamiya quickly scrambled to his feet, Kaori already out the door as he quickly fell into step beside Genjiro. His head was spinning. What could they do?

"I know I can't expect forgiveness considering some of you were hurt. But I'll strive to become a hero to wipe away my family's stain," Rin spoke into the microphone.

He was an idiot. He was the biggest idiot in the world. Her lips set into a furious frown, Kaori marched down the hall, not entirely sure what she was going to say to him, at least not yet.

"I hope someday that you will be able to…" Rin jumped as the door was suddenly flung open.

Without a word, Kaori went over, turning off the microphone. He was finished.

"Uh...Kaori?" Rin squeaked as Genjiro shut down the camera. "Genjiro? Anamiya?"

Anamiya swallowed hard, suddenly not sure what to do. "Er...hi."

"Hi," Rin shifted, looking between the three.

"You're an ass," Kaori said, crossing her arms. She wasn't bothered by any of this...but perhaps she was. If anything, it was because he was showing signs of stupidity.

"I'm the ass?" Rin's eyes widened. "I'm trying to apologize!"

Kaori poked him in the chest. "For no reason."

"Lots of reasons," Rin said. "It was my family that attacked. My sisters hurt Seishin and Saito."

Anamiya was shaking his head in deniel but Kaori beat him to a vocal answer. "Did you not just say you're not with them? How are their actions have anything to do with you? They're not. You're not them and will never be them."

"You don't think so?" Rin asked, voice shaking.

"We know so," Genjiro said, putting a hand on Rin's shoulder.

Anamkya nodded quickly. He really hoped Rin would believe them.

"Of course we don't," Kaori said, rolling her eyes. "I don't understand how you got this in your head but you don't either, deep down."

"I've spent the last week in the police station," Rin stammered. "I gave away everything I knew about them...I even told them my little sister's school. I...really cared about some of them...I want to be a hero but...I just gave away my family."

Kaori shook her head. "They would have done the same thing, in a heartbeat, without remorse. They're not your family. Your family is with First Aid...us." That seemed the right thing to say. "We're what a real family looks like."

Anamiya nodded again, reaching out to put a hand on Rin's other side. "Yeah. Rin, we're your family. You're just like a brother to us."

"Yeah," Genjiro nodded.

Rin swallowed hard. They didn't really get it. He'd nearly grown up with his siblings. Sure he and Haruko had it rough but the others...what had they done? "Thanks guys," he tried to smile.

Kaori narrowed her eyes, stepping closer. "You don't believe us," she said flatly. "You can't. You think we don't understand."

"I believe we are family," Rin said hastily. "You guys are the best friends anyone could hope for."

Kaori stared at him, eyebrow raised. He was lying, or he wasn't nearly as convinced as he should be at least.

"You've done a lot for me," Rin smiled.

Kaori shook her head. Why was he being so stubborn? "You're still such an ass."

"Again?" Rin's smile faltered.

"Kaori," Anamiya said with a sigh, glancing at Genjiro. She still scared him too much for him to try anything.

"Yes," Kaori said, nodding. He was getting it. "But you're our ass and if we have to tell you a hundred times for you to get it, I guess we will."

"Something like that," Genjiro shrugged helplessly. "We're on your side, Rin."

"Thanks guys," Rin pulled his smile back.

Kaori poked him in the chest again. "Don't forget," she warned.

"I won't," Rin promised.

"We're always here if you need us," Anamiya said softly. He hoped Rin would never forget that either.

"We have to stick together," Genjiro smiled.

Kaori pulled back, then reached into her pocket. Without a word, she offered him the cookie she had swapped.

"Oh," Rin took the cookie. "Thanks," he smiled at her.

Kaori gave him a small smile in return. She thought the cookie might make more sense than anything else for him.

"Well if you four are done," Principal Nezu cleared his throat. "Then class is over for today. It would be best to return to your dorms. Especially you Nakamaru, since you have to catch up."

Anamiya went bright red, having forgotten they weren't alone. Then he cleared his throat, turning to Rin. "Come on. We'll go with you, help where we can." He was certain Kaori had taken notes.

"Thanks," Rin nodded.

As soon as he passed her, Kaori narrowed her eyes. She was going to be watching him carefully over the next few days.

* * *

How had he never noticed how beautiful Yukiko was until now? They had been classmates for a while so he should have known this earlier but he hadn't and now he was certain he had never seen a girl as captivating as she was. His lunch all but forgotten, Anamiya stared at her across the cafeteria, watching her hair swish this way and that as she nodded to whatever Hanami had said.

"Anamiyaaaaaaaaaa," Rin dragged the words out, waving a hand in front of Anamiya's face.

Anamiya jumped backwards, knocking his elbow into his class. Without a word, Kaori grabbed it

before it could spill. He blushed instantly. "What?"

"Whatcha doing?" Rin grinned.

Anamiya felt his face grow even more red. "Nothing," he said quickly, looking down at his food.

"I'm...eating?..Yeah, eating."

"No...you are staring at Ikeda," Rin replied.

"I am not," Anamiya protested instantly, his face growing steadily warmer. Crap, had he been

that obvious? He quickly took a bite, staring intently at his tray.

"Yeah, or Kinoshita," Rin said after a moment.

"Kinoshita scares me," Anamiya muttered, seeing this as a possible distraction. He definitely

had been obvious; why did he have to be so open about...everything really?

"So is it Ikeda?" Rin asked.

"No!" Anamiya's voice came out a bit higher and his voice cracked.

"You were!" Rin grinned ever wider.

Groaning, Anamiya buried his face in his hands. This was so embarrassing.

"You like her?" Rin asked.

"No," Anamiya murmured, the word muffled by his hands. This conversation couldn't be

happening. He didn't like her...well, he did, but not like that...she was just beautiful and smart

and he really liked it when she gave one of her rare smiles but he definitely didn't like like

her...right?

"Uh huh," Rin grinned.

Anamiya wanted to disappear right where he was sitting. "Rin," he groaned.

"What?" Rin asked innocently.

Anamiya's face continued to burn. "You know what," he muttered. This was so embarrassing.

"So what are you going to do about it?" Rin asked, eyes twinkling.

"Nothing," Anamiya said, face paling as he quickly looked up.

"Really?" Rin looked at him.

"Er...yes?" Anamiya guessed, trying not to sound strangled.

"You aren't gonna talk to her or something?" Rin asked.

"Why would I...why would I?" Anamiya's voice cracked this time and he rubbed the back of his

neck.

"Because you like her," Rin replied.

"I...no." Anamiya, flushing again, stared intently at his food. This was a nightmare in the making.

He couldn't imagine talking to her like that. He felt vaguely ill at the thought.

"You don't?" Rin asked, looking confused.

"No?" Anamiya swallowed a groan. Why was Rin his best friend again?

"So you do like her," Rin said.

"I didn't say that," Anamiya muttered, though the protest sounded weak to even his own ears.

"You did," Rin spread his hands.

"I...I..." Anamiya faltered. Had he?

"Yeah?" Rin leaned closer.

Anamiya inched away, his face redder than before. Why did he have to be so obvious?

"So you wanna go on a date?" Rin asked.

"A date?" Anamiya repeated, head spinning at the very thought. A date...an actual date with her?

"Yeah, two people go out to see if they have mutual feelings," Rin said.

"But what if she doesn't like like me?" Anamiya asked, eyes widening with panic at the thought.

"Well, um," Rin glanced at Kaori.

Kaori stared back, an eyebrow arched. "Why are you asking me?"

"You're a girl?" Rin said.

Kaori kept staring. "I fail to see how that's relevant to the matters at hand," she said finally.

"What do you do?" Rin asked.

Kaori shrugged a shoulder. "Love is something I have yet to fully grasp the concept of," she

Admitted. She was curious about it, and was very invested in understanding it better.

"Oh right, well I have no clue," Rin shrugged.

Anamiya shook his head quickly. "I can't do it," he said, chest tight. She would reject him, he

was sure of it. He was fine with just watching from a distance, fine with being a friend, nothing

more.

"Yes you can," Rin said encouragingly.

"She won't be interested," Anamiya muttered, resting his face in his hands. His food was

forgotten, as he was now too distressed to be hungry.

"Maybe she will," Rin said.

"She won't," Anamiya muttered, because she was far too out of his league.

"Maybe," Rin said.

Anamiya squirmed, wondering if he could drown himself in his glass of water.

"She could," Rin tried again.

Anamiya desperately wished the floor would open and swallow him up, seeing the water wasn't

actually doing anything. "But...she might not," he muttered.

"But she might," Rin countered.

Anamiya muttered something, not entirely sure about this.

"You never know until you try," Rin shrugged.

"Or I just don't try," Anamiya murmured, because that would be much safer.

"Why?" Rin asked.

Anamiya sighed, finally looking up. "What would she even see in me?" He had nothing that

would warrant being taking a chance on.

"Well you are a nice guy," Rin said.

"She could definitely do worse," Kaori offered, because she thought if Rin gave her one more

look, she would elbow him and hard.

"That wasn't encouraging at all, Kaori," Rin rolled his eyes.

Kaori shrugged, completely uncaring that it apparently wasn't. "Didn't you say you wanted my

advice?"

"Not advice like that," Rin said.

Kaori shrugged. "I tried," she said unapologetically.

"Points for trying," Rin shrugged.

Anamiya groaned. "This isn't helping," he muttered.

"What isn't helping?" Genjiro asked, bouncing up with his tray.

"For some reason, Anamiya doesn't like our advice," Kaori said, shrugging indifferently. She

didn't understand that.

"Advice on what?" Genjiro asked.

"It's nothing," Anamiya said quickly, because this had quickly gotten out of control.

"Nothing?" Genjiro looked interested.

"Nothing," Anamiya murmured, feeling his face start to flush again.

"Well," Rin shot a sideways glance at Anamiya.

Kaori glanced pointedly from Anamiya to Ikeda, knowing that would be answer enough for

Genjiro.

"Ohhhhhhh nothingggg," Genjiro sat down eagerly.

"It's nothing," Anamiya muttered, staring intently at his lunch now.

"Are we going to talk about Nothing?" Genjiro asked.

"No!" Anamiya said, voice cracking with the end syllable. He glared down at Kaori, who

shrugged again.

"Alright," Genjiro modded.

Kaori was more interested than she wanted to admit to. She had always been curious about

love and now she was getting a firsthand view of it.

"I'll just ignore it," Anamiya decided, because that would be easier.

"We are ignoring Nothing?" Rin asked.

"Yes." Anamiya frowned as soon as he said it. He knew his friends, knew how they would take

this. "Er...no?"

"Anyone want to fill me in on Nothing?" Genjiro asked.

Anamiya stuffed his mouth full of food in an attempt to stall.

"Well Nothing is happening between Anamiya and Ikeda," Tom said.

"Nothing is definitely happening," Kaori agreed, still trying to puzzle it out. What made Anamiya

even shy when it came to his feelings for Ikeda? Did everyone act like this when they were

interested romantically in someone? How irrational.

"Ohhh...did she say nothing was Happening?" Genjiro asked

"I haven't talked to her about it," Anamiya whispered, voice hushed. Why would he?

"Oh, so Nothing hasn't been discussed," Genjiro modded.

Anamiya ate another bite of food, his face growing warm again. This was so embarrassing.

"You should talk about Nothing to her, I bet she likes you too," Genjiro said.

Anamiya's eyes instantly went wide. "W-why?"

"Well because you are a good guy?" Genjiro said. "And your looks aren't bad...I don't know what girls really look for though," he glanced briefly at Kaori.

"Why do you and Rin keep looking at me for girl opinions?" Kaori rolled her eyes. They were

ridiculous.

"Um...cause...you...are a girl?" Genjiro grinned innocently.

Kaori reached over and grabbed Rin's spoon, launching it directly at Genjiro's face.

"Aah!" Genjiro yelled as the spoon smacked between his eyes. Using his quirk he bounced it

back at her.

Kaori caught it with a quick hand. "You deserved that and you know it."

"Why, cause I called you a girl?" Genjiro widened his eyes.

"Because you assumed, based on my gender, that I would have particular knowledge on

something that I have made perfectly clear that baffles me," Kaori said, rolling her eyes. "That's

extremely idiotic."

"Aw man, that's rough," Genjiro pouted.

"You know I'm not wrong," Kaori pointed out, turning her attention back to lunch. "So don't

complain."

"Yes ma'am," Genjiro said.

Anamiya shook his head, sinking as low as he could get. Maybe they had gotten distracted.

"So we do nothing about Nothing?" Rin asked.

Anamiya froze. Of course Rin hadn't forgotten. "Right?"

"No fun," Rin sighed.

Kaori suddenly stood, pulling her hair back into a ponytail as she did it. "I'll handle it."

"What?" Genjiro looked up at her.

"No," Anamiya gasped as soon as he realized what she had in mind. She wouldn't...would she?

Kaori glanced over at the table where Nothing was sitting at. "I'm not going to stand for you

doing this for the next week, or month, or whatever. It's a waste of productivity."

"Whoa," Genjiro said.

"Rin, do something," Anamiya said desperately. Nothing seemed to ever stop Kaori when she

set her mind to it.

"Whoa, Kaori..." Rin glanced up at her. "That's not how being a wingman works."

"Is that what we are?" Kaori frowner, her brows knitting together.

"Totally," Genjiro nodded.

Anamiya stared at Rin at those words. "What?"

"Well we help you out on getting the girl," Rin said.

"You are?" Surprised, Anamiya kept staring as Kaori sighed and set back down.

"Uh huh," Rin nodded. "But...covertly."

Anamiya began to flush again. "I...see."

"All secret agent ninja like," Genjiro added.

Kaori sighed again. "This is ridiculous," she muttered.

"It's ridiculously cool," Genjiro said.

Anamiya swallowed hard, looking at all three. "Right?"

"Yes," Rin nodded.

Anamiya rubbed a hand against his flushed cheek. "Um..." He really wasn't sure what to think.

He wanted this, but it definitely wouldn't happen, he was certain of it.

"Anamiya!" Genjiro exclaimed. "I know the perfect thing for you," he pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket. "My uncle sent me this brochere."

Anamiya almost fell off his chair at the sudden exclamation. "What is it?" he asked, carefully taking the crumpled paper. He wasn't sure if he really wanted to know because with his best friend, it could well be anything.

"A carnival," Kaori said, frowning as she read from his other side. "Coming in two days." That was interesting.

"My uncle's running a booth and told me to tell my friends about it and to eat at his place," Genjiro grinned.

"We're going," Kaori said, settling back. This might be a good opportunity, one she couldn't pass off.

Rin opened his mouth, then closed it. "Well...if Animiya's bringing a date...shouldn't we all?" he glanced sideways at the others.

"It's not a date," Anamiya said quickly, face growing red again.

"That would be impossible," Kaori said, eyes narrowed slightly as she looked around, studying their classmates. "As all three of us are unattached, however, Genjiro, I believe I know who you should invite.'

"Are you setting me up?" Genjiro looked slightly offended.

Kaori ignored him. "I know that Raiji has been incredibly stressed with her general student responsibilities and Class Rep ones."

"A working date?" Genjiro looked suspicious at her.

"I didn't say it was a date," Kaori said, raising an eyebrow. "But I think it would be a nice thing for you to do."

"Rin said dates," Genjiro glanced at his blond friend.

Kaori glanced at Rin as well, eyebrow raised, then turned back to Genjiro. "Call it what you will. Ask her."

"Right, come on Animiya, Ikeda and Raiji are at the same tables, let's go ask," Genjiro stood up.

Anamiya stared at his plate, shaking his head. "I can't," he said faintly.

"I'll be with you," Genjiro grinned. "Besides it's a really cool first date."

'What if she says no?" Anamiya stared up at him, eyes panicked. If she said no, he could never look her in the eyes again; well, he actually never made eye contact with her to begin with but that was beside the point.

"Who doesn't like the Carnival?" Genjiro said. "Plus she could say yes."

Anamiya touched the collar of his shirt. "I...how…" His throat was feeling a bit tight.

"Just ask her to go with you," Genjiro smiled. "It'll be easy."

"I.."

Rolling her eyes, Kaori grabbed his arm. "Look, Anamiya,she could be the best thing to ever happen to you, but you won't know until you try. You're brave, more than you think you are, and this is perhaps the most scary thing you will ever experience in your life. So if you can survive this, you can survive anything. So, get up, go ask her and don't forget to breathe."

Anamiya stared at her, eyes wide, then looked at Genjiro.

"It's worth a try," Rin said.

Swallowing hard, Anamiya forced himself to stand. "Alright,' he murmured. He couldn't believe he was really doing this.

"You go guys," Rin grinned.

Anamiya gave him a faint smile, then turned. At least he wasn't doing this alone and Genjiro was with him.

"Let's go," Genjiro clutched the flyer.

More or less attaching himself to Genjiro, very aware that if he didn't, he might make a break for it, Anamiya forced himself to move to where the girls were sitting. This was going to be horrible.

"Yeah I could improve my form," Yukiko looked at her hand as she grabbed her water bottle with the other.

Hikari pointed at her phone. "Only there," she said, referencing the video they were looking there. "The other parts look - oh, hi," she said, suddenly aware of Genjiro and Yun.

"So, there's a Carnival in town in two days," Genjiro straightened out the wrinkled paper.

Hikari blinked, looking at the paper and reading it quickly. "That's interesting." She hadn't heard about that.

"Would you like to go?" Genjiro stood on his toes, rocking back and forth.

Hikari looked back at the paper. "Well...I do have lots of homework that I need to complete."

"You have two days," Genjiro shrugged. "It'll be fun and a nice break."

Hikari bit her lip, taking a moment to carefully consider her options. "Alright," she decided. It might be good to get out.

"Great," Genjiro grinned. "When do you want to meet up?"

Hikari looked at her phone, making sure she had no conflicting appointments. Her schedule was clear. "How about...six?"

"That works," Genjiro nodded. "Let's meet in the main room then."

Hikari gave him a small smile. "I look forward to it." She had never been to one before, so it would be a different kind of experience.

"Me too," Genjiro glanced sideways at Anamiya.

"Do you want to go there too?" Anamiya blurted, his face bright red.

Yukiko glanced at Hanami, but realized she was still eating. Wait, was Yun asking her? She really hadn't had a chance to talk with him after that night. Very awkward…

"Me?" she looking up confused, after glancing around again wondering if he was talking to someone else.

"Yes," Anamiya murmured. This was going so bad already.

"Go with you to the...thing?" Yukiko swallowed hard.

Anamiya nodded, staring at the ground. "The...the thing...yeah."

"Sure," Yukiko found herself staring at her lunch. "That sounds...good."

Anamiya jerked his gaze up so suddenly, he got dizzy. "Really?"

"Yeah," Yukiko nodded.

"I…" Anamiya stared at Genjiro, unable to believe this was really happening. "Six then?"

"Six," Yukiko said.

Nodding absently, Anamiya found himself smiling. "I'll see you then."

"Yeah," Yukiko replied.

Nodding absently, Anamiya turned away, barely able to breathe. She had agreed. She had actually agreed.

"You two know you just agreed to dates right?" Hanami leaned closer, eyes sparkling. She hadn't been expecting any of this, but it all made sense.

"What?" Yukiko turned towards her.

Hanami nodded knowingly. "Yun's had a massive crush on you for a while now Yukiko," she said, learning back. It had been so painfully obvious. "And K-"

"Genjiro and I are just friends," Hikari said, eyebrows knitted together.

"It's not like that," Yukiko argued.

Hanami rolled her eyes, looking at her painted fingernails. "I promise that it is for both of you," she said, wondering how they could both be so smart, but so dumb.

"It's not," Yukiko said flatly.

"Fine." Hanami shrugged, rolling her eyes again at Hikari's frantic shaking of her head. "If you want to believe that but would it be so bad if it was? They're sweet boys."

"We are just first years," Yukiko played with her rice.

"You're all fifteen," Hanami pointed out, frowning when she realized her polish had a chip on it. "And they're not assholes. You're not committing yourselves to them, like for the rest of your lives, or something. Besides, you have to admit that Katou has a cute butt."

Hikari nearly choked on her drink, her cheeks turning pink. "I don't think so," she said, clearing her throat. "He's just...he's…" Suddenly forgetting where she was going with this, she cleared her throat again. She never became flustered, yet here she was. Perhaps because Hanami always had that tendency; everytime she opened her mouth, it was to catch someone off guard.

"Just friends," Yukiko said. She honestly didn't know what to do with more than that.

"Sure," Hanami agreed, taking a bit of her own lunch. "But for your friends, I'm still going to make sure you both look cute."

Hikari, uneasy, looked at Yukiko. What did that mean? Besides, it was just an outing with friends, so they should be fine with whatever they wore. Genjiro wouldn't care.

"I already look cute," Yukiko tried.

"You do," Hanami agreed, inspecting her closely. "More cute."

Yukiko looked at her suspiciously.

"Don't worry about it," Hanami said, waving a hand as Hikari opened her mouth to protest. "Let's finish our meal."

Rin glanced at where the others were talking with the girls. He turned towards Kaori, hoping she wasn't making plans for the both of them. "Kaori," he started.

"What?" Kaori looked up from where she was scraping the last bit of rice into her spoon. She hadn't continued watching the boys; they would be told yes, that was painfully obvious, so she decided to work on eating.

"Would you like to go out with me?" Rin asked. "To the Carnival."

"I was already going to," Kaori said, looking at him before turning her attention to his bowl. She was still hungry. "I haven't ever been before either and I want to practice my target aiming."

"Oh good," Rin nodded. "We can make it a date."

Kaori frowned a little. "Aren't we going with Genjiro, Anamiya and the other girls?" She reached over, taking his bowl. He had been finished with it anyway.

"Well we'll be at the same Carnival," Rin said. "But we could go a little earlier."

Kaori shrugged after a moment. "I'll meet you at 5 I guess."

"Great," Rin grinned. "And uh...Kaori, before they get back. Did you look that up on the internet?"

Kaori glanced up from his bowl then smirked. "The world wide web is very handy," she said, then turned back to eating.

"You read them a motivational 'go get a girl' speech off your phone," Rin said, wondering how she had thought of this.

"I know a lot of things, but that's not one of them. So, yes, I looked for other sources," Kaori said; she thought it was all very clever on her part. "It worked didn't it?"

"Yeah," Rin nodded. "Sounds a bit like cheating."

"By admitting weakness and finding solutions to make up for them?" Kaori asked with a shrug.

"Being able to find inspiring speeches on your phone," Rin said.

Kaori rolled her eyes, then lapsed into silence for a moment. "You never picked your Hero name."

"Oh yeah, I guess I missed that class," Rin glanced around.

"You did," Kaori said flatly. She still wasn't happy.

"Right…" Rin trailed off.

"So?" Kaori prompted when he made no move to answer.

"So?" Rin looked at her.

"What is it?" Kaori pressed. He was such an idiot.

"What's what?" Rin glanced around. Were the others done asking the girls out?

"Your Hero name," Kaori said, looking at him long and hard.

"Oh," Rin said. "Well...to be honest, I haven't thought much on it."

"Medic," Kaori said, having been waiting for this.

"Medic?" Rin glanced at her.

"Genjiro suggested Doctor, but I think Medic makes much sense," Kaori decided, pulling out her small black notebook.

"I mean, it makes sense with my costume and all," Rin nodded.

Kaori nodded, getting a pen. "Exactly."

"What are you doing?" Rin asked.

"Just checking something off," Kaori said dismissively. She didn't deem it important enough to share, at least not yet.

"Was it convincing me my name should be Medic?" Rin looked suspicious.

Kaori shrugged. "Perhaps."

"I see," Rin nodded. "Alright, I'll give you this one."

Smiling, Kaori went ahead and marked on her paper. "Thank you."

"She said yes," Anamiya murmured, sitting down suddenly in his chair. His eyes were still very wide.

"Good job," Rin grinned.

"Raiji too," Genjiro nodded, when Rin looked at him.

"I'm not surprised," Kaori said, putting her notebook back. "I wouldn't have suggested what i did unless I was more than 9.8 percent certain."

"On a scale of ten or a hundred?" Rin glanced at Kaori.

"Ten of course," Kaori said, rolling her eyes. There shouldn't be any question about it.

"Well then you guys were great," Rin smirked.

Anamiya, turning a bright red, quickly buried his face in his hands.

* * *

 **Got to cover some great things this chapter...doctor visits, hero names (funny story I (alumni) forgot about not everyone getting their name right 100% until the end and well I just kept going so that's why everyone's names there...haha) some fluff...and the new Top Ten Heroes!**

 **So what do you guys think of Deku's sudden rise to number 2? Also the traitor is still out there...who could it be?**

 **Join us next time for a chapter of Carnival fluffiness and ships galore then down to gritty business...**

 **Internships!**


	30. Chapter 27

_Reviews with Alumni and Loki:_

 **Butterfly Chikage** ~ Glad you're back, but we totally understand. Yeah, things were very intense with that chapter. The students getting therapy was something we really wanted to include. Thank you for the high compliment- yes, we have plans for her! Yassss...wholesome class is wholesome. We have those exact same feelings about the kids. Thank you so much! Hope the near year is treating you good too (despite a pandemic)

 **61394** ~ Yep! Next chapter (which we're currently working on) has some internship fun! Plus ultra!

 **Hofund** ~ Kaori's...Kaori. While, spoiler alert, we didn't see Hiroto there, we have some plans for him in the next couple chapters so watch for that. Haha, that was her exact reasoning! But I"m very glad I'm keeping her in character (I have a lot of fun playing her) and she's having believable development so thank you!

 **Supreme Kai of Booty** ~ You're completely fine! We love hearing from you, sober or not lol. Wow, we actually had no idea about that! Cool trivia (and something I feel like he would do just for the fun of it) so thanks for sharing that with us. The answers to those questions can be found in here (though, between you and me, we're going to see more of that strength...like you said, there's endless possibilities) But enjoy the fluff, shipping, and overall goodness!

 **gold crown dragon** ~ Yep,the cinnamon roll is growing! (And we're pretty much hopeless romantics too!)

Thanks for the heads up on the errors you've noticed and we'll get to fixing those ASAP. And yes, we'll be seeing more of Class B sooner rather than later, which includes ships! You've just gotta wait and see. We'll check those recs out...we do love our music! Hope you enjoy the chapter! (Oh, that sounds adorable!)

 **Attackin** ~ We're very glad to hear that you liked it so much! Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts/opinions.

 **LifeisBeautiful7** ~ Yep, internships are the next chapter! This chapter is just general fluffiness! But hope you enjoy it!

 **Starblitz1312** ~ That's completely fine! We do like hearing from you, but we understand. Yep, there's a lot of characters so sometimes its hard to keep track of people and where they all are. Yes, be prepared for lots of fun stuff in this chapter. (Spoiler alert, we had great fun giving Bakugou his internships) . Hope you like the chapter!

 **Chester A. Bum** ~ We just love your enthusiasm! But yes, lots of ratting out! Also, that was awesome, 10/10. Yep, Mr. Yun has a lil' crush but rather this asking out is perceived by everyone as the same thing...welllllllllll….*shrugs* But shipping and internships galore! (in this chapter and the next!) Bakugou does indeed get to teach someone...two someones in fact and I'm (Loki) laughing about this just thinking about it. Enjoy!

* * *

Rin waited downstairs, fidgeting with his clothing. He had facetimed with First Aid and she had dressed him casual, but not too casual. Also she had helped him decide on a sparkly festive headband instead of flowers. He wasn't exactly sure how that fit Kaori better, but it made sense. She wouldn't have to carry flowers around for the night and the headband was perfect.

Kaori frowned as she stepped down the last step. "I wasn't expecting you until 5:02," she said, glancing at Rin.

"I was early?" Rin grinned, wondering why he had made that a question. "You look nice," he said quickly, remembering "nice things to say that weren't creepy" from First Aid's list.

Kaori looked down, then shrugged a shoulder. She was wearing loose fitting clothing, black on black, perfect to move around in. There was nothing that warranted the compliment; she wasn't interested enough to figure it out. "Well, thank you," she said, looking back. "Are you ready to go?"

"I am," Rin nodded. "It isn't a long walk from the school, unless you'd rather take the bus."

"Walking is fine," Kaori said, turning. "It's a nice night anyway."

"Yeah," Rin agreed. "Walking is great."

Giving him another sideways look, Kaori led the way to the door. "A few of my cousins will have booths there." She wasn't sure if she felt like stopping by, she hadn't seen Niko since that disaster of a family dinner, but she thought there might be one or two that she would like to say him too.

"Oh well that's fine," Rin nodded. "I figured when we are hungry we can eat at Genjiro's uncle's place."

Kaori nodded her agreement. "Are we going to wait for the others?" She was trying to calculate how much time she would have to do what she was wanting.

"Well we can if you want, but I was thinking we could hang out just the two of us...since they have dates and everything," Rin stammered.

Kaori considered this for a moment. She supposed that made sense. They didn't want to make things uncomfortable or weird for the two couples, she supposed. "Alright," she agreed. "I'm sure Anamiya and Genjiro will appreciate us staying out of the way."

"Right," Rin nodded. "Makes sense."

"Of course it does," Kaori agreed. She only reached conclusions that made sense. "Do you have any particular thing you want to do first?"

"I figured I would let you decide," Rin said. "I'm excited about all of it so it doesn't matter to me."

"Have you ever been?" Kaori asked, reaching for a notebook. This wasn't her usual one as she wanted to keep all her lists separate from one another.

"Not especially," Rin said after a moment. "What's the notebook for?"

"An answer for an answer," Kaori said, giving him a look. "Not especially implies that you're not interested in this, yet the question that I asked was a 'yes or no' question."

"Well," Rin replied, running a hand across the back of his neck. "I'm very interested...when I said not especially...I was kinda at one a few years ago?"

"Kinda?" Kaori narrowed her eyes instantly, studying him intently. "I see."

"My father had us train in a hall of mirrors, but the carnival was closed and no one was around," Rin explained. He had to get used to his open past now.

"Your father," Kaori said flatly after several moments of considering the implication. "Is an asshole but I do appreciate his creativity."

"He's very creative," Rin nodded in agreement with her earlier statement as well. "So...the notebook?"

Kaori held it up. "This one is just to keep my thoughts organized. I have to make sure I do everything I want to."

"So a list of things you want to do at the Carnival?" Rin glanced at it.

"Yes," Kaori said after a beat. "That's it exactly." It was a very detailed schedule, to make sure they were able to do everything in the time limit they had, but his way of explaining made it seem...better.

"Oh, you even have how many minutes at each thing," Rin noted. "That's very...organized."

"Organization is key to being a good hero and to succeed in all aspects of life." Kaori shrugged. "Besides, this carnival won't be back for another two and a half years."

"That's right," Rin nodded. "But...isn't a carnival about being spontaneous?"

"I'm not a very spontaneous person," Kaori said. Everything had to be planned out, though she had trained herself to be able to adapt if need be.

"But what if you like a game and want to spend more time on it, or you want to do the ball toss before the hall of mirrors?" Rin looked at her.

Kaori shook her head. "I did research on all the games they were offering before I met you," she said with a shrug.

"But what if you get there and one looks better than the other?" Rin grinned.

Kaori pressed her lips together in a tight line. "Then I will simply shift my scheduling somewhat." She had already considered this possibility.

"That sounds very spontaneous," Rin nodded approvingly.

"Being able to adapt and being spontaneous are two different things," Kaori disagreed. She thought everyone understood that.

"Can you schedule one spontaneous moment tonight?" Rin looked at her. "Just for me?"

Kaori wrinkled her nose. "You can't schedule spontaneity."

"Well I think it's a great compromise," Rin grinned at her.

Studying him intently for several moments, Kaori took her time, weighing both the pros and cons of this type of agreement. "Alright," she said finally. "I suppose this can be deemed to be acceptable."

"Good," Rin nodded. "Then you can schedule a spontaneous moment."

Kaori sighed. "Even though that's near impossible, I'll do it," she said, hating that she couldn't resist a challenge.

"Yay," Rin smiled.

Kaori rolled her eyes, though she was smiling a little. "I don't understand you as much as I want to," she admitted.

"Am I mysterious?" Rin grinned.

"No," Kaori said flatly, though her lips twitched into another smile without much prompting.

"But you said you didn't understand me," Rin smirked.

"You're a puzzle. Puzzles aren't mysterious," Kaori said, rolling her eyes.

"Hm, a puzzle," Rin looked thoughtful.

"As good a way of describing you as anything," Kaori said with a shrug

"That's interesting," Rin said quietly.

"Is it?" Kaori asked, rising an eyebrow. What did he define as interesting?

"Yeah," Rin nodded.

"How?" Kaori asked, looking at him sideways.

"I like being a puzzle," Rin said. "It's all broken up until someone puts it together then its a great picture."

"You've put some thought into this," Kaori said, dipping her head. It was interesting.

"It took me a few seconds," Rin shrugged.

Kaori laughed. "Just a few? Color me impressed."

"It was after you debunked my mystery theory," Rin said.

"That's what I'm here for. Debunking theories," Kaori said, putting her notebook back.

"Right," Rin grinned. "Well what's first on our list?"

"Hall of mirrors," Kaori said without missing a beat.

"Oh," Rin nodded. "Well I can show you the trick to getting out if you don't know it."

"I've never been to one before," Kaori said with a frown. "But let's see what it looks like in there."

"Oh well then you can find your way out," Rin said.

"I bet I'll figure it out within two minutes." Kaori had given herself that amount of time to do so.

"One and a half," Rin grinned at her.

Kaori's lips twitched, then she gave in and grinned. "Well I can't resist a challenge."

"Race you," Rin said.

Kaori narrowed her eyes then took off without a word.

Rin grinned, chasing after her.

Feet pounding the pavement, Kaori weaved around objects, such as trash cans. She would win this.

Rin glanced around, just them, he jumped over the trash can.

Smirking as she aw that, Kaori kept going, running faster down the pavement, hair flying behind her.

Rin ran after her as fast as he could, parkouring over the objects she wove around.

"Good job," Kaori called, impressed despite herself.

"Thanks," Rin grinned up at her.

Kaori found herself returning the grin. "Don't let it go to your head."

"I won't," Rin said.

Kaori smirked this time, then leapt over a trash can, dropping and rolling before resuming her run again.

Rin chased after her, jumping over trash cans and avoiding people now that they were drawing closer to the carnival.

Realizing they were about evenly paced, Kaori put on a burst of speed. She wasn't about to lose.

Rin dodged a large man, barely checking himself in time to follow after Kaori again.

"Too slow," Kaori called over her shoulder.

"I'm catching up," Rin said.

Kaori smirked. He wasn't even close but she admired his determination.

Rin ducked around several people running up to Kaori. He was really close to catching her.

"You can't come in without tickets," a man called, stepping suddenly in front of them.

Rin came to a screeching halt, struggling to find his balance. He had completely missed that they were at the Carnival. "Oh, sorry sir. We'll go pay for tickets."

Kaori stopped, perfectly keeping her balance. "Of course," she said, already fishing for her wallet.

"Oh no, I've got this," Rin dug in his pocket. "I want to get the tickets since this was my idea sort of."

"You can get the food," Kaori said with a handful of cash already in hand. She didn't see the point in doing anything but splitting the cost of things.

"Oh well, I planned for everything," Rin assured her.

Kaori gave him a look, then shrugged. "I already have it already," she said, turning away so they could to the ticket booth. "Just do dinner and the games if you want to."

"Alright," Rin swallowed. He'd have to talk to First Aid to make sure that was alright. He was taking her on a..d..d..ate.

Kaori frowned when she heard the slight crack in his voice. "What is it?" she asked, wondering what she had missed. Very rarely did she miss something but sometimes she got wrapped up in her own thoughts.

"Oh nothing," Rin smiled. He was pretty sure she hadn't realized that they were on a date and he wasn't sure how to clue her in.

Kaori shrugged, knowing it wasn't nothing but not too interested in figuring it out right now. She was ready to begin. Walking up to the ticket booth, she quickly got tickets so she could really start their adventure here.

"So, hall of mirrors first?" Rin glanced at her.

Kaori nodded, passing him his. "Of course. We have nine and a half minutes there."

"Can you do it in that amount of time?" Rin asked.

"I'm looking around for seven minutes, then I'll be getting out in a minute and a half, then I have another minute for error," Kaori explained, reaching for her notebook again.

"You scheduled for mistakes?" Rin peeked over her shoulders.

"Of course. I don't make them often but they must always be considered," Kaori said with a sigh, letting him see her scribbled notes.

"Right," Rin nodded. "Always have a plan b."

"Always have at least a plan b through d," Kaori said, as it never hurt to have too many plans in place.

"No plan Ms?" Rin asked.

"If you go past d, you really shouldn't be the one making plans to begin with," Kaori said, walking down the street. Her dark eyes were watchful; there was a lot to take it.

"Ahh," Rin replied. "So...never ever a plan M?"

"Never," Kaori said, shaking her head. "It's pointless and not at all smart. You always need your first, and sometimes your second, plan to work so make them good and you won't ever need to go that far into the alphabet."

"But think about all the letters that are missing out," Rin grinned.

Kaori rolled her eyes, though her lips were twitching into a smile. "They'll survive."

"Alright, let's find the hall of mirrors," Rin smiled.

"It's that way," Kaori said, pointing to the building they were approaching. "I made sure to find the location of everything before."

"Oh, that's very organized,"Rin nodded.

"Organization is key," Kaori said, putting her notebook back as she lead him into the building.

"Right," Rin nodded. He glanced around. It was hard not to think about his training.

Kaori began walking, eyeing the mirrors that appeared around them near instantly. "How did he train you with them?"

"Attacking with precision," Rin replied. "Not letting your eyes deceive you. All that."

"Interesting," Kaori said thoughtfully. She needed to mention this to her mother; she would find it interesting as well.

"Also there was loud music going so you couldn't trust your hearing either," Rin replied.

"Mhm." Kaori looked at the mirrors as they passed, their reflections disorientated.

"This one makes me look tall," Rin stopped in front of one.

Kaori stopped as well, then shook her head. "I don't care for it."

"Maybe I should go to the one that makes me look wide?" Rin glanced at her.

Shrugging, Kaori moved to another, studying herself. She looked very short. "Perception is an odd concept."

"It is," Rin nodded.

Kaori reached up, studying her arms. "Makes you wonder what's really the truth."

"Well, we can't trust reflections others cast on us, right?" Rin asked.

"But can we trust our own?" Kaori tilted her head to the side, studying herself for a moment before moving on. "We have our own deep biases."

"Right," Rin nodded.

"Like I said. Perception is just complicated," Kaori said, narrowing her eyes as she studied herself. "Raises a lot of interesting questions."

"This one makes my face look weird,' Rin glanced at her.

Kaori glanced back, then smirked. "I like your usual face."

"Yeah?" he grinned at her.

Kaori smirked again, then looked back at her own reflection. "I guess."

"Oh well. Are you ready to get through the maze?" Rin looked at her.

Kaori glanced at her phone. "We have roughly fifteen seconds before we can."

"Great," Rin nodded.

"Are you ready?" Kaori asked, putting back her phone then straightening.

"Ready," Rin grinned.

Kaori found herself grinning back. "It's time then."

* * *

"I don't think I can do this," Anamiya murmured, trying to remember how to breathe as he stared at his feet. They were waiting for the girls and he about convinced himself that he should flee while he had a chance.

"You can do this," Genjiro grabbed him by the shoulders. "It's alright. Just take a deep breath."

Anamiya attempted to, then choked. "This is going to end in disaster. She'll never speak to me again," he gasped.

"She hasn't really spoken to you before now," Genjiro said blankly, before he realized the words had come out of his mouth. "So she has no standards," he laughed weakly. "You can do this."

Horror instantly crossed Anamiya's face as his best friend's words prompted an idea. "Do you think she only said yes out of pity?"

"No!" Genjiro said. "Think about that time you two were alone together, you must have said something to impress her!"

"I was an idiot," Anamiya muttered, certain of that. He always seemed to when he was around her.

"No, you were super neat and that's why she said yes because you are a good guy," Genjiro said, shaking Anamiya with hopes of adding sense.

Anamiya, caught off guard by the sudden movement, nearly tripped over his own feet. "I don't know…"

"What are you two doing?" Hikari, with a slight crease between her brows, stared at them, hand on a hip. She never could be sure with Genjiro.

"Oh, hi," Genjiro turned around, seeing Ikeda behind Raiji. "Oh you know, just, straightening Anamiya's clothes…" He smiled brightly. "Are you ready?"

Hikari shook her head. That was about what she expected of him. "We are," she said, wondering if she was dressed correctly for this. Hanami had taken charge of her and Yukiko's clothing and left no room for discussion. She was very far out of her comfort zone but she thought it would be fun.

"Well, uh, let's go," Genjiro smiled.

Not sure what to do with his hands, Anamiya stuffed his hands in his pockets. He couldn't even bring himself to look at Yukiko.

Returning the smile, Hikari turned to the door. She was looking forward to seeing if this carnival was as impressive as it sounded.

* * *

"I don't know why no one else wanted to come," Sutoi said with a sigh, waiting for his and Hinata's tickets. He thought they were going to have a blast; there were so many games and the ferris wheel was going to be the best.

"I don't know either," Hinata shrugged. She was super excited, this was going to be the best night ever.

"They're just weird," Sutoi said with a grin as he gave her her ticket. "Come on. Let's go play some games."

"Yes! Let's win all the games!" Hintata grabbed her ticket and ran off.

Laughing, Sutoi followed. "Where to first?" he asked, looking around. "Oh, how about that ball toss?"

"Oh that one looks good!" Hinata agreed enthusiastically.

"Bet I can beat you," Sutoi said with a grin as he neared the game. He was learning rather quickly how competitive Hinata could be.

"Girls rule, boys drool," Hinata smirked at him.

Sutoi rolled his eyes, pulling at a strand of her hair before pushing her towards the line. "We'll see about that."

"I'll beat you faster," Hinata shrugged.

"You say that now, but…" Sutoi smirked this time, pleased how fast the line was moving.

"I'm going to roast you angel boy," Hinata poked him in the chest.

"Angel boy?" Sutoi frowned, not sure what to think of the nickname.

"Your hero name," Hinata shrugged. "Archangel. Kinda promoting yourself up the ranks aren't you there," she grinned.

Sutoi considered this for a moment then smirked. "Well, I can't argue against that," he admitted. "But if you call me Angel Boy, I'm going to have to call you something too."

"Like...what?" Hinata looked suspiciously at him.

"Uh…" Sutoi frowned as they moved closer to the front. "Hinnie?"

"Ew," Hinata instantly glared at him.

"Nata?" Sutoi asked, lips twisting. She was cute no matter what she did.

"Maybe," Hinata said thoughtfully.

"I mean, it's better then Hinnie," Sutoi pointed out then grinned. "We're up. Think about it and let me know by the time we get done."

"Yeah, and you can get ready to accept defeat," Hinata said.

* * *

Yukiko stood quietly, looking at the bright lights of the carnival was very...different. She hadn't expected it to be so very musical. There were all types of music playing all at once it seemed like.

Wondering how he could possibly ever forgive Genjiro for leaving him alone with Yukiko, Anamiya swallowed hard as he stared at her. "So are you enjoying yourself?" he asked finally.

Yukiko nodded. "Yes," she said softly, looking at the different sights again.

Anamiya kept watching her, unable to help himself. "Thanks for coming with me," he murmured, wishing his voice could come out steady.

"Yeah," Yukiko crossed her arms. "Uh...thanks."

"You're..uh...very nice...and that," Anamiya said, a flush creeping up his face as he spoke. Why couldn't he shut up?

"Oh...uh...thanks," Yukiko glanced downwards.

Anamiya wanted the ground to swallow him whole. "I...I really...I really appreciate you agreeing and um I'm sorry I'm so awkward."

"Its alright," Yukiko shook her head. She wasn't really great at this whole, social interaction either.

Somehow, Anamiya believed her. Relaxing, he looked around then spotted a bench not a handful of feet away. "Do you want to sit for a bit? People watch?"

"Yeah," Yukiko nodded.

Leading her to the bench, Anamiya set down on it. This was the type of things he enjoyed. "It'll be nice," he said softly.

"Yeah, I like watching others," Yukiko nodded.

"It's very interesting," Anamiya agreed. He liked to try to figure out their stories.

"It is," Yukiko said.

Very aware of close she was sitting to him, Anamiya swallowed hard then cleared his throat. "What about them? What do you think is going on with those two?"

"They are having fun," Yukiko said after a moment.

Anamiya nodded after a moment. "They seem too."

"A lot of people are," Yukiko shrugged.

"Are you?" Anamiya asked carefully. He was, more than he thought possible.

"Having fun?" Yukiko looked at him.

Anamiya nodded, flushing and looking away. He hadn't been expecting her to look at him.

"Uh, this is cool," Yukiko said.

Relieved, Anamiya nodded at that. Much better than he had been expecting for an answer. He would take it.

"What about you?" Yukiko asked.

"I am," Anamiya said, then flushed when he realized how quick his answer had been.

"That's nice," Yukiko nodded.

"I'm glad to be here with you," Anamiya said softly, unable to look at her. "After everything that happened, it's nice to be with someone who gets it...and yeah."

"What's everything?" Yukiko asked.

"The...you know." Anamiya felt his face begin to burn. "The dinner."

"Oh," Yukiko said. "That was crazy."

"It was," Anamiya admitted. One word for it.

"Yeah," Yukiko nodded.

"But we did it," Anamiya said, clearing his throat.

"We did," Yukiko said.

"Somehow," Anamiya said with a small smile.

"Right," Yukiko replied.

Anamiya lapsed into silence for several moments. "Thanks for coming with me," he murmured.

"Thanks for inviting me," Yukiko took a deep breath.

"I...about didn't." Anamiya felt himself grow red again. "I got too...flustered."

"Flustered?" Yukiko glanced at him.

Anamiya was now cursing his mouth. What was he even talking about? "I...I don't really...you know...I don't do this kind of things...stuff...you know."

"Neither do I," Yukiko said, her cheeks faintly flushing.

Noting how red she was getting, Anamiya grew increasingly red as well. "And I uh was sure you would say no."

"Why?" Yukiko glanced at him.

"Well...you know." Anamiya swallowed hard. Was he going to pass out? He might.

"This was fun," Yukiko stood up. "We should see where the others are."

Grateful for the save, Anamiya quickly stood up as well. "It's probably getting close to dinner."

"Right," Yukiko nodded.

Not sure what to do, Anamiya stuffed his hands into his pockets. This had gone so much better than he thought it would.

* * *

"I can't believe they kicked us out," Sutoi complained, hands in his pockets as he walked down the sidewalk. They had been winning too much apparently, whatever that meant.

"I know," Hinata sighed, looking back at the prize booth. "And I wanted to get the cute little bear!"

Sutoi took a moment to eye the haul that she had. She wasn't hurting for prizes. "Well...:" He frowned, trying to think of something to make her feel better. "Oh." His eyes widened at a sudden thought. "I've got an idea."

"What?" Hinata looked at him.

"I'm going to make you something," Sutoi said, excitement growing at the thought. This would be so cool. "With my Quirk."

"Really?" Hinata asked. "Wait," she grabbed him pulling him into an alleyway between tents. "Here, this way no one sees you." she said, glancing around.

Realizing that was a good idea, Sutoi nodded his thanks. "What do you want me to make?"

"Hm," Hinata said thoughtfully. "How about something to go in my hair bun?" she pointed to her messy black hair, the brown tips sticking out in every direction.

Sutoi stared at her hair for a moment, then thought of his sister. She liked things for her hair too...what did she wear all the time? That's right! Decorative pins. "What's your favorite animal?" he asked, taking this very seriously.

"Wolf," Hinata said. "It's very cunning," she grinned.

Sutoi grinned back before holding out his hand, trying to picture what exactly he wanted to make her. After a moment, he did, beginning to form a hair pin, with a delicate wolf on the end, out of his hardlight. It was hard to do, he had never done anything like this before, but it was forming beautifully. Practice allowed him to make this to last forever.

"Wow, that's pretty amazing." Hinata kept moving around him trying to get a better view.

As soon he finished it, Sutoi grinned at her, pride in his eyes. "Thank you," he said, a little tired as it was the only third time or so that he had done this. "It'll always be formed."

"You mean its permanent?" Hinata held it gently in her hands.

Sutoi nodded, staring at her. She was so pretty. "Yeah, it is. I've been practicing."

Hinata took a moment to look at it, before carefully placing it in her messy hair bun. "How does it look?" she asked.

Staring at her for a moment, Sutoi gave her a lopsided grin. "Beautiful."

"Thanks!" Hinata smiled at him. "Hey I'm hungry. Let's get something to eat."

Smiling back, Sutoi took some of her prizes so she wouldn't have to carry such a haul. "I am too. Do you want to try that place down the road?"

"Nothing at the carnival?" Hinata asked. "Didn't one of our classmates give us a flyer for a booth to eat at?"

Sutoi frowned, then reached into his pocket, before pulling out a crumpled page with a sheepish grin. He might have forgotten about that. "This looks good."

"Doesn't it though?" Hinata snatched it. "Come on, it says it's on the corner a few rows away."

Laughing, Sutoi nodded, fine with letting her lead them. "Right behind you."

* * *

Kaori looked critically at her bowl of ramen then took a noodle, chewing it carefully. "Highly acceptable," she said, directing this to Genjiro. After she had beaten Rin at nearly all the games, it had been time to have dinner with Genjiro, Anamiya and the other girls. Rakugaki and Daitenshi had joined them as well.

"My uncle does a great job," Genjiro grinned, eating a bite of bright red ramen.

Hikari nodded, dabbing at her mouth with a napkin. "Will you introduce us? I would like to tell him how well he did." It was perhaps the best ramen she had ever had.

"I'd like to too!" Hinata agreed.

Sutoi nodded eagerly, slurping several noodles.

"I'd love to," Genjiro smiled. "He loves it when people enjoy his food."

"It is good," Hikari admitted, delicately taking one of the noodles into her mouth. She always liked to make sure everything was done correctly and in as organized manner as possible, including eating.

"Incredible, we'll have to visit his restaurant," Rin agreed.

Kaori nodded, taking another noodle. "I would like to go," she said. If anything, it would give her even more insight into Genjiro. It always paid to know the ones you consider friends.

"I can't believe everyone is here," Hinata looked around. "Well not from class but a good portion of our class."

Sutoi nodded quickly again, mouth full of more noodles.

"We should go after our internships." Kaori took another careful noodle. She was looking forward to that; she was certain several agencies would seek her, but she was most interested in one.

"Right ," Genjiro nodded. "Our internships...any hopes for who will pick you?"

"I have no doubt I'll have fifteen different requests," Kaori said, taking another noodle. "But I know which one will end up with me."

"I'll be lucky if I even get a request," Hintata bemoaned. "Seeing as I didn't even make it to the final rounds."

"I'm sure you will," Sutoi offered, patting her on the arm. He thought she really did well, all their group did actually.

"Everyone usually gets requests," Rin said. "I heard about it from some of our upperclassmen."

Anamiya stared down at his bowl. The very thought made the food he was staring at unappealing. He didn't know how he was supposed to do something like the internships when all he wanted to be swallowed up where he stood. But surely if he could manage to invite Yukiko on an outing, that would be alright too. Right?

"Its a bit nerve wracking," Genjiro admitted. "I mean, no one could want you. That's a scary thought."

"There's only a 13.7 chance of that happening," Hikari pointed out. She wasn't concerned; she, like everyone else, had done her best and shown the world what she was capable of. While she highly doubted they would get anywhere near Tsukinose's fifteen, which she fully believed would happen, they would get offers.

"So however are you going to choose between fifteen competitors for your services?" Rin elbowed Kaori.

Kaori eyed his arm, unimpressed. "I know who I want. The rest are not worth my time."

"Who is it?" Genjiro leaned over.

"Ingenium." Kaori picked at a piece of lint.

"Why him?" Rin asked, having expected a different hero.

"Why not?" Kaori shrugged. She had her reasons, twenty-three of them to be exact, so she had to shorten to only two. "He's smart and he sees things differently."

"That's a good reason." Genjiro nodded.

"Of course it is," Kaori agreed as she finished her Ramen. "I have suggestions for all of you if you want."

"Oh really?" Rin asked. He wasn't going to get his hopes up, but he was interested in what she had to say.

Kaori pulled out her notebook, briefly flicking through the pages. "Red Riot would be a perfect fit for Genjiro," she said, putting the notebook back into her pocket. "I think their personalities would fit well. For a successful internship, that's fairly important in most cases. "

"I guess a spear and shield hero would be good to practice working with my quirk and learning how to operate with them," Genjiro said after a moment's thought. "But it would have to be Fat Gum's agency to want me."

Kaori gave him a look. "As his Senior Hero, and considering just how well they work together, I fully expect him to send the request. If I'm right, as I know I am, you'll be spending time on the streets with him and training with Red Riot as that's clearly the best option."

"What about me?" Rin asked. "There aren't many medical heroes out there."

"First Aid will want you," Kaori said, looking back at him. "But I wouldn't recommend you accepting her request."

"What?" Rin blinked. "Why not? She's a medical hero, which means she's in the field I want to go into."

"I'm aware." Kaori glanced at her fingernail. When had she chipped it? Perhaps at the ball throw. Yes, that seemed right. "But it's better if you go with the other one that's interested."

"Who knows if I'll get more than one, besides I should go with what is my field?" Rin looked at her.

Kaori glanced up at that. "You will," she said. He was challenging her but that was fine. She liked to explain when she was right and why. "But I have every belief that you and Anamiya will be requested by the same person."

Anamiya looked up at that. "What?"

"What?" Rin echoed.

Karoi leaned back in her chair, looking around for a moment. "You heard me."

"Why would someone want both of us?" Rin turned to Anamiya. "No offense, but how are our quirks similar?"

"They're not," Kaori said flatly. "That's the point."

Anamiya was no less confused than he was a minute ago. Kaori, oftentimes, seemed to forget they weren't all on the same level.

"She's just guessing or she's a witch," Rin whispered to Anamiya.

Anamiya's eyes widened, then he glanced at Kaori. "Well...um...I don't know if either of them are really more likely," he muttered.

Kaori stood, unamused, but bored as well. "Rin, we still have three games to play," she said, pressing her hands on the table. "And thirty minutes."

"Right," Rin nodded, standing up. "See you guys at the dorms!"

"Have fun!" Hinata waved, then tugged on Sutoi's sleeve. "Let's do the hall of mirrors!"

Sutoi grinned as he stood. "See you later," he said, waving to the others before he was happily pulled along.

"Do you want to try getting the hoop around that little elephant again?" Genjiro turned to Hikari.

Hikari nodded. "I've thought about it and I think I have a successful strategy in order to get it."

"Great," Genjiro nodded.

"So…" Yukiko primly folded her napkin, tucking it beneath her empty dish. "Is there anything else?"

Anamiya, suddenly realizing they were alone, cleared his throat, feeling his face instantly go bright red. "No, I don't think so. Unless you just want to walk around...er...something?"

"Alright," Yukiko nodded.

Anamiya stood, then not sure what to do, offered her a hand...in case she needed help getting up or something. He didn't know. He was so nervous he wanted to be sick.

"Oh, thanks," Yukiko took his hand after a second.

His face growing warm, Anamiya wasn't entirely sure what to do, so he decided to simply ignore it. If she wanted to pull away, now that she was standing, that was fine. "Of course," he muttered.

"Yeah," Yukiko slid her hand out of his and pointed. "We could go there."

Trying not to be terribly distracted, Anamiya nodded, turning away slightly as he tried to hide his blush. "That'll be perfect."

"Let's go," Yukiko looked up at the night sky. "It's going to rain soon."

* * *

Thunder rumbled deeply across the sky, everyone at the carnival rushing for cover. Lightning streaked through the sky. An unexpected rainstorm, blowing through the city after a battle between hero and villain on a remote island.

Hikari wasn't used to panicking, wasn't used to anything but emotions that made sense because everything had to make sense, but when the thunder started, followed by bolts of lightning, she lost all her careful control. Breath coming in small gasps, she clutched Genjiro's arm, unable to believe that this thing could render her so helpless. It was just lightning, just a storm, but...but it wasn't, was it?"

Genjiro looked back at Hikari as she suddenly clung to his arm. "Are you alright?" he asked, as they ducked under an awning.

Realizing that she was holding onto his arm, Hikari couldn't bring herself to let go. "Fine," she said faintly.

"You sure?" Genjiro asked.

"I….I just don't like...lightning," Hikari murmured, trying to find some sort of composure again. It was hard when the sky lit up every other minute.

"You don't like lightning?" Genjiro blinked.

"No," Hikari muttered, taking a deep breath then releasing it a moment later. "I know. It's stupid, considering my Quirk."

"Oh no," Genjiro shook his head. "A lot of people are afraid of their own quirks overloading...is that why?"

I was struck by lightning," Hikari said softly. It had been years, years now, but she couldn't really let it go.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Genjiro winced, realizing he probably shouldn't pry.

Hikari pressed a hand to one of her horns. "It was raining," she said finally. "And they have a tendency to attract electrical surges. That's how I got this scar." She moved her hand to the faded mark on her forehead. She hadn't thought of it in months.

"I'm sorry," Genjiro said. "Do you want something extra to cover them?" he asked, wondering if his jacket would work.

Hikari shook her head after a moment. "If we just stay here until it lets up," she said finally. She didn't want to be an inconvenience for him but she saw no other way.

"Alright," Genjiro said. "Are you going to be okay?"

Hikari nodded this time. She would be fine. "I just...I just don't like it when it storms," she murmured. How humiliating.

"Well…" Genjiro said after a moment. "I don't like...ducks…"

Hikari looked up, distracted from the raging storm. "What?"

"It's really silly," Genjiro shuffled his feet. "My nanny lost me in the park one time when I was little and I got chased around by these two ducks…"

"Oh." Hikari blinked, taken off guard by this. "And ever since then…?"

"I don't like ducks," Genjiro muttered.

"Right," Hikari said thoughtfully after a moment. "Well, if we happen to see any ducks, I won't let them get you," she said seriously.

"Thanks," Genjiro smiled at her.

Hikari smiled back. "Thanks for standing here with me," she said softly.

"Yeah," Genjiro nodded. "It looks like its calming down. We better get back if we want to make curfew."

Hikari nodded back. Curfew, because it was a rule, was important. "Alright. Thank you again."

* * *

"Pick something, its pouring and I need to close my booth up."

Kaori sighed, unimpressed with the selection of prizes as well as the fact they were being rushed. A little rain never hurt anyone. "I don't know," she admitted, peering at each prize.

Rin looked through them as well. "Hey," he said, grabbing a small cylindrical object and held it up to her. "How about this mood ring?"

Kaori stared down at it. "Why would I want that?"

"Well it would really help us, because then we could see what your mood was, like an early warning system," Rin grinned.

Her expression perfectly even, Kaori reached out, not breaking eye contact with him, and grabbed another ring. It was a thin band, with multiple colored gems across it but also a mood ring. Still holding his gaze, she shoved the ring onto her finger.

Well, he hadn't expected her to do that. Then again, he really didn't know what she was thinking. "I guess we'll take that," he said after a moment.

"Finally," the owner muttered, stuffing the stuff in boxes.

"Ready to go?" Rin asked.

Kaori nodded, flexing her fingers, then turned. "We don't want to be late," she said, pulling up her hood.

"No we don't," Rin shook his head.

"I wish there was something more sensible than that," Kaori said, inspecting her hand again before leading him down the path.

"There weren't any sensible items there," Rin said. "Besides, now I know you are…" he peered at the ring. "Tranquil."

"Tranquil?" Kaori raised an eyebrow. "Right."

"Am I picking up signs of…? Rin glanced back down at the paper. "Annoyance?"

Kaori rolled her eyes. "You shouldn't need a ring to tell you that."

"Hostility?" Rin smirked.

Kaori, her eyes narrowing slightly, stood on her toes and slapped him on the back of the head.

"Ouch!" Rin yelped. "I guess the ring and I were right."

"Oh, shut up," Kaori said with a sigh. "I didn't even hit you that hard."

"Right," Rin rolled his eyes.

Kaori smirked, then started walking again.

* * *

 **Hey guys! So...its been a while, but here we are! Still kicking! Next up are the Internships! Very excited about those! We're going to Hope everyone is doing alright!**

 **Alumni and Loki!**


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